/^> 


pj 


THE 

IRenaiseance  of  the  Docal  Hrt 


A  PRACTICAL  STUDY  OF  VITALITY, 
VITALIZED  ENERGY,  OF  THE  PHYS- 
ICAL, MENTAL  AND  EMOTIONAL 
POWERS  OF  THE  SINGER,  THROUGH 
FLEXIBLE,  ELASTIC  BODILY  MOVEMENTS 


BY  EDMUND  J.  MYER 

F.  S.  Sc.  (LONDON) 

Author  of  "  Truths  of  Importance  to  Vocalists'1    "  The  Voice  from  a 

Practical  Stand-Point,"   "Voice-Training  Exercises"  (a  study  of 

the  natural  movements  of  the  voice), "  Vocal  Reinforcement," 

"Position  and  Action  in  Singing',"  etc.,  etc. 

n.  i.  »5 


BOSTON 
THE  BOSTON   Music   COMPANY 

G.  SCHIRMER 

Copyright,  1902,  by  G.  SCHIRMER,  JR.,  for  all  countries 


«    T./FfHEN  you  see  something  new  to  you  in  art,  or  hear 
*  *          a  proposition  in  philosophy  you  never  heard  before, 
do   not  make   haste   to    ridicule,  deny  or   refute.       Possibly  the 
trouble  is  with  yourself — who  knows?" 


B.  M.  Co.  696 


PREFACE. 


To  my  readers  once  again  through  this  little 
work,  greetings.  For  the  many  kind  things  said 
of  my  former  works  by  my  friends,  my  pupils,  the 
critic  and  the  profession,  thanks !  To  those  who 
have  understood  and  appreciated  the  principles 
laid  down  in  my  last  book,  "Position  and  Action 
in  Singing,"  I  will  say  that  this  little  work  will  be 
an  additional  help.  To  my  readers  in  general, 
who  may  not  have  fully  understood  or  appreciated 
the  principles  of  vitality,  of  vitalized  energy,  aroused 
and  developed  through  the  movements  set  forth  in 
my  last  book,  to  such  I  will  say  that  I  hope  this 
little  work  will  make  clearer  those  principles.  I 
hope  that  it  may  lead  them  to  a  better  understand- 
ing of  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  system, 
principles  which  are  founded  upon  natural  laws 
and  common  sense.  In  this  work  I  have  en- 
deavored to  logically  formulate  my  system. 

As  it  is  not  possible  to  fully  study  and  develop 
any  one  fundamental  principle  of  singing  without 


4  Preface. 

some  understanding  or  mastery  of  all  others,  so  it  is 
not  possible  to  write  a  work  like  this  without  more 
or  less  repetition.  Certain  subjects  are  so  closely 
related,  are  so  interdependent,  that  repetition 
cannot  be  avoided.  I  am  not  offering  an  apology 
for  this  ;  I  am  simply  stating  that  a  certain  amount 
of  repetition  is  necessary. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGB 

PREFACE    5 

EXORDIUM 7 


PART   FIRST. 

EVOLUTION. 

ARTICLE  i.  THE  OLD  ITALIAN  SCHOOL  OF  SINGING   .    .  n 

"       2.  THE  DARK  AGES  OF  THE  VOCAL  ART  ...  13 

"       3.  THE  Two  PREVAILING  SYSTEMS 17 

"       4.  THE  RENAISSANCE  OF  THE  VOCAL  ART    .    .  21 

"       5.  THE  COMING  SCHOOL  OR  SYSTEM    ....  27 

"       6.  CONDITIONS 31 

"       7.  THE  INFLUENCE  OF  RIGHT  BODILY  ACTION  37 


RAISON   D'ETRE 47 


PART   SECOND. 

VITALITY. 

ARTICLE  i.  THE  FIRST  PRINCIPLE  OF  ARTISTIC  TONE- 
PRODUCTION  55 

"  2.  THE  SECOND  PRINCIPLE  OF  ARTISTIC  TONE- 
PRODUCTION  71 

"  3.  THE  THIRD  PRINCIPLE  OF  ARTISTIC  TONE- 
PRODUCTION  83 


6  Contents. 

PART  THIRD. 

AESTHETICS. 

PAGE 

ARTICLE  i.  THE  FOURTH  PRINCIPLE  OF  ARTISTIC  SING- 
ING        101 

"       2.  THE  FIFTH  PRINCIPLE  OF  ARTISTIC  SINGING  1 1 1 
"       3.  THE  SIXTH  PRINCIPLE  OF  ARTISTIC  SINGING  121 
««       4.  THE  SEVENTH  PRINCIPLE  OF  ARTISTIC  SING- 
ING   125 


EXORDIUM. 


MAN,  to  see  far  and  clearly,  must  rise  above  his 
surroundings.  To  win  great  possessions,  to  mas- 
ter great  truths,  we  must  climb  all  the  hills,  all 
the  mountains,  which  confront  us.  Unfortunately 
the  vocal  profession  dwells  too  much  upon  the 
lowlands  of  tradition,  or  is  buried  too  deep  in  the 
valleys  of  prejudice.  Better  things,  however,  will 
come.  They  must  come.  The  current  of  the 
advanced  thought,  the  higher  thought,  of  this,  the 
opening  year  of  the  twentieth  century,  will  slowly 
but  surely  increase  in  power  and  influence,  will 
slowly  but  surely  broaden  and  deepen,  until  the 
light  of  reason  breaks  upon  the  vocal  world.  We 
may  confidently  look,  in  the  near  future,  for  the 
Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 


part  first 

EVOLUTION. 


The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 


ARTICLE   ONE. 

THE   OLD    ITALIAN    SCHOOL    OF   SINGING. 

THE  Shibboleth,  or  trade  cry,  of  the  average 
modern  vocal  teacher  is  "  The  Old  Italian  School 
of  Singing."  How  much  of  value  there  is  in  this 
may  be  surmised  when  we  stop  to  consider  that 
of  the  many  who  claim  to  teach  the  true  Old 
Italian  method  no  two  of  them  teach  at  all  alike, 
unless  they  happen  to  be  pupils  of  the  same 
master. 

A  system,  a  method,  or  a  theory  is  not  true 
simply  because  it  is  old.  It  may  be  old  and  true  ; 
it  may  be  old  and  false.  It  may  be  new  and  false ; 
or,  what  is  more  important,  it  may  be  new  and  yet 
true ;  age  alone  cannot  stamp  it  with  the  mark  of 
truthfulness. 

The  truth  is,  we  know  but  little  of  the  Old 
Italian  School  of  Singing.  We  do  know,  however, 

ii 


12     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

that  the  old  Italians  were  an  emotional  and  impul- 
sive people.  Their  style  of  singing  was  the  flex, 
ible,  florid,  coloratura  style.  This  demanded  free- 
dom of  action  and  emotional  expression,  which 
more  largely  than  anything  else  accounts  for  their 
success. 

The  old  Italians  knew  little  or  nothing  of  the 
science  of  voice  as  we  know  it  to-day.  They  did 
know,  however,  the  great  fundamental  principles 
of  singing,  which  are  freedom  of  form  and  action, 
spontaneity  and  naturalness.  They  studied  Nature, 
and  learned  of  her.  Their  style  of  singing,  it  is 
true,  would  be  considered  superficial  at  the  present 
day,  but  it  is  generally  conceded  that  they  did 
make  a  few  great  singers.  If  the  principles  of 
the  old  school  had  not  been  changed  or  lost,  if 
they  had  been  retained  and  developed  up  to  the 
present  day,  what  a  wonderful  legacy  the  vocal 
profession  might  have  inherited  in  this  age,  the 
beginning  of  the  twentieth  century.  Adversity, 
however,  develops  art  as  well  as  individuality; 
hence  the  vocal  art  has  much  to  expect  in  the 
future. 


ARTICLE  TWO. 

THE  DARK  AGE  OF  THE  VOCAL  ART. 

EVEN  in  the  palmiest  days  of  the  Old  Italian 
School,  there  were  forces  at  work  which  were  des- 
tined to  influence  the  entire  vocal  world.  The 
subtle  influence  of  these  forces  was  felt  so  gradu- 
ally, and  yet  so  surely  and  powerfully,  that  while 
the  profession,  as  one  might  say,  peacefully  slept, 
art  was  changed  to  artificiality.  Thus  arose  that 
which  may  be  called  the  dark  ages  of  the  vocal 
art,  —  an  age  when  error  overshadowed  truth  and 
reason ;  for  while  real  scientists,  after  great  study 
and  research,  discovered  much  of  the  true  science 
of  voice,  many  who  styled  themselves  scientists 
discovered  much  that  they  imagined  was  the  true 
science  of  voice. 

Upon  the  theories  advanced  by  self-styled  scien- 
tists, many  systems  of  singing  were  based,  with- 
out definite  proof  as  to  their  being  true  or  false. 
These  systems  were  exploited  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  formulated  them.  This  condition  of 
things  prevailed,  not  only  through  the  latter  part 


14     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

of  the  eighteenth  century  and  the  first  half  of  the 
nineteenth,  but  still  manifests  itself  at  the  present 
day,  and  no  doubt  will  continue  to  do  so  for  many 
years  to  come. 

The  vocal  world  undoubtedly  owes  much  to  the 
study  and  research  of  the  true  scientist.  All  true 
art  is  based  upon  science,  and  none  more  than  the 
art  of  voice  and  of  singing. 

Science  is  knowledge  of  facts  co-ordinated,  ar- 
ranged, and  systematized ;  hence  science  is  truth. 
The  object  of  science  is  knowledge ;  the  object  of 
art  is  works.  In  art,  truth  is  the  means  to  an 
end  ;  in  science,  truth  is  the  end. 

The  science  of  voice  is  a  knowledge  of  certain 
phenomena  or  movements  which  are  found  under 
certain  conditions  to  occur  regularly.  The  object 
of  the  true  art  of  voice  is  to  study  the  conditions 
which  allow  these  phenomena  to  occur. 

The  greatest  mistake  of  the  many  systems  of 
singing,  formulated  upon  the  theories  of  the  scien- 
tists, and  of  the  so-called  scientists,  was  not  so 
much  in  their  being  based  upon  theories  which 
oftentimes  were  wrong,  as  in  the  misunderstanding 
and  misapplication  of  true  theories.  The  general 
mistake  of  these  systems  was  and  is  that  they  at- 
tempt by  direct  local  effort,  by  direct  manipulation 
of  muscle,  to  compel  the  phenomena  of  voice,  in- 


The  Dark  Age  of  the  Vocal  Art.      15 

stead  of  studying  the  conditions  which  allow  them 
to  occur.  In  this  way  they  attempt  to  do  by 
direct  control,  that  which  Nature  alone  can  do 
correctly. 

While  it  is  true  that  the  vocal  world  owes 
much  to  science  and  the  scientists,  yet  "  the  high- 
est science  can  never  fully  explain  the  true  phenom- 
ena of  the  voice,  which  are  truly  the  phenomena 
of  Nature."  The  phenomena  of  the  voice  no  doubt 
interest  the  scientists  from  an  anatomical  stand- 
point, but  these  things  are  of  little  practical  value 
to  the  singer.  As  someone  has  said,  "To  ex- 
amine into  the  anatomical  construction  of  the 
larynx,  to  watch  it  physiologically,  and  learn  to 
understand  the  motions  of  the  vocal  cords  in 
their  relation  to  vocal  sounds,  is  not  much  more 
than  looking  at  the  dial  of  a  clock ;  the  movements 
of  the  hands  will  give  you  no  idea  of  the  construc- 
tion of  the  intricate  works  hidden  behind  the  face 
of  the  clock." 

We  should  never  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that 
there  is  a  true  science  of  voice,  and  that  the  art 
of  song  is  based  upon  this  science.  The  true  art 
of  song,  however,  is  not  so  much  a  direct  study  of 
the  physical  or  mechanical  action  of  the  parts,  as 
it  is  a  study  of  the  spirituelle  side ;  a  study  of  the 
forces  which  move  the  parts  automatically,  in  ac- 


1 6     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

cordance  with  the  laws  of  nature.  In  other  words, 
voice,  true  voice,  is  more  psychological  than  phy- 
siological ;  is  more  an  expression  of  mind  and  soul 
than  a  physical  expression  or  a  physical  force. 
It  is  true,  the  body  is  the  medium  through  which 
the  soul,  the  real  man,  gives  expression  to  thought 
and  feeling ;  and  yet  voice  that  is  simply  mechani- 
cal or  physical  is  always  common  and  meaningless 
and  as  a  rule  unmusical.  The  normal  condition  of 
true  artistic  voice  is  emotional  and  soulful. 


ARTICLE   THREE. 

THE    TWO    PREVAILING   SYSTEMS. 

THE  misunderstanding  or  the  misapplication  of 
any  principle,  theory  or  device,  always  leads  to 
error.  This  was  eminently  true  of  the  misunder- 
standing and  misapplication  on  the  part  of  many 
writers  and  teachers  who  based  their  systems 
upon  the  theories  of  the  scientists  and  the  self- 
styled  scientists.  The  result  is  evident ;  it  is  that 
which  is  known  as  the  local-effort,  muscular  school 
of  the  nineteenth  century ;  the  school  which  to 
this  day  so  largely  prevails ;  the  school  which 
makes  of  man  a  mere  vocal  machine,  instead  of  a 
living,  emotional,  thinking  soul. 

The  local-effort  school  attempts,  by  direct  con- 
trol and  manipulation  of  muscle  and  of  the  vocal 
parts,  to  compel  the  phenomena  of  voice.  In  this 
respect  it  is  unique  ;  in  this  respect  it  stands  alone. 
The  truth  of  this  statement  becomes  evident  when 
we  stop  to  consider  that  in  nothing  known  which 
requires  muscular  development,  as  does  the  art  of 
singing,  is  this  development  or  training  secured  by 

17 


1 8     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

direct  manipulation  and  control  of  muscle.  There 
is  nothing  in  the  arts  or  sciences,  nothing  in  the 
broad  field  of  athletics  or  physical  culture,  nothing 
in  the  wide  world  that  requires  physical  develop- 
ment, in  which  the  attempt  is  made  to  develop  by 
direct  effort  as  does  the  local-effort  school.  Hence 
we  say  the  mistake  they  make  is  in  attempting  to 
compel  the  phenomena  of  voice,  instead  of  study- 
ing the  conditions  which  allow  them  to  occur.  It 
might  be  interesting,  it  certainly  would  be  very 
amusing,  to  enumerate  and  illustrate  the  many 
things  done  under  the  name  of  science,  to  compel 
the  phenomena  of  voice  ;  but  space  will  not  permit. 
Many  of  them  are  well  known  ;  many  more  are  too 
ridiculous  to  consider  except  that  they  should  be 
exposed  for  the  good  of  the  profession. 

The  result  of  all  this  direct  manipulation  of 
muscle  is  ugliness  —  everywhere  hard,  unmusical, 
unsympathetic  voices.  The  public  is  so  used  to 
hearing  hard,  muscular  voices  that  the  demand  for 
beautiful  tone  is  not  what  it  should  be.  In  fact, 
it  is  not  generally  known  that  it  is  possible  to 
make  almost  any  voice  more  or  less  beautiful  that 
is  at  all  worth  training.  The  hard,  unmusical 
voice  of  the  day  is  a  hybrid,  unnatural  and 
altogether  unnecessary  voice.  Physical  effort  in 
singing  develops  physical  tone  and  physical  effect. 


The  Two  Prevailing  Systems.          19 

Common  tone  makes  common  singing.  A  great 
artist  must  be  great  in  tone  as  well  as  in  interpre- 
tation. 

The  disciples  of  the  local-effort  school  lose  sight 
of  the  fact  that  when  a  muscle  is  set  and  rigid, 
either  in  attempting  to  hold  the  breath  or  to  force 
the  tone,  it  is  virtually  out  of  action ;  that  instead 
of  actually  helping  the  voice  it  is  really  preventing 
a  free,  natural  production,  and  that  other  parts  are 
then  compelled  to  do  its  work ;  this  accounts  for 
many  ruined  voices.  "To  make  a  part  rigid  is 
equal  to  the  extirpation  of  such  part.  While  it  is 
in  a  state  of  rigidity  it  ceases  to  take  part  in  any 
action  whatsoever  :  it  is  inert  and  the  same  as  if  it 
had  ceased  to  exist." 

The  local-effort  school  is  accountable  for  many 
errors  of  the  day.  The  incubus  of  this  school  is 
fastened  upon  the  vocal  profession  with  octopus- 
like  tentacles  which  reach  out  in  every  direction, 
and  which  strive  to  strangle  the  truth  in  every 
possible  way ;  but,  while  "  life  is  short,  art  is 
long  ;  "  the  truth  must  prevail. 

As  an  outgrowth  of  the  local-effort  school,  and 
as  an  attempt  to  counteract  its  evil  tendencies, 
there  is  to-day  in  existence  another  school  or  sys- 
tem known  as  the  limp  or  relaxed  school,  or  the 


2O     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

system  of  complete  relaxation.  The  object  of  this 
relaxation  is  to  overcome  muscular  tension  and 
rigidity.  This  is  the  other  extreme.  The  follow- 
ers of  this  school  forget  that  there  can  be  no 
tonicity  without  tension.  Flexible  firmness  with- 
out rigidity,  the  result  of  flexible,  vitalized  position 
and  action,  is  the  only  true  condition.  The  tone 
of  the  school  of  relaxation  is  nearly  always  de- 
pressed and  breathy ;  it  always  lacks  vitality. 


ARTICLE   FOUR. 

THE    RENAISSANCE   OF    THE   VOCAL   ART. 

WE  are  in  the  habit  of  measuring  time  by  days, 
weeks,  months,  years,  decades  and  centuries.  The 
world  at  large  measures  time  by  epochs  and  eras. 
While  this  is  true  in  the  physical  world,  it  is  equally 
true  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  it  is  especially 
true  of  the  art  of  song.  Thus  we  have  had  the 
period  known  as  "  The  Old  Italian  School  of  Sing- 
ing." This  was  followed  by  the  modern  school,  or 
"  The  Local-Effort  School  "  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, the  period  which  may  be  called  The  Dark 
Ages  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

There  is  a  constant  evolution  in  all  things  pro- 
gressive, and  this  evolution  is  felt  very  perceptibly 
to-day  in  the  vocal  world.  Great  principles,  great 
truths,  are  of  slow  growth,  slow  development. 
Times  change,  however,  and  we  change  with  them. 
While  the  changes  may  be  slow  and  almost  imper- 
ceptible to  the  observer,  they  are  sure,  and  finally 
become  evident  by  the  accumulation  of  event  after 
event. 

21 


22     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

The  prevailing  systems  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury tried  to  develop  voice  by  direct  local  muscular 
effort.  These  systems  have  proved  themselves 
failures.  The  vocal  world  is  looking  for  and  de- 
manding something  better.  We  may  say  that  we 
are  now  on  the  eve  of  great  events  in  the  vocal 
art.  When  the  morn  comes,  and  the  light  breaks, 
we  may  confidently  expect  that  awakening  or  re- 
awakening which  may  properly  be  called  The 
Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

This  is  the  age  of  physical  culture  in  all  its 
forms.  There  is  a  tendency  from  the  artificial 
habits  of  life,  back,  or  rather  one  should  say  for- 
ward, to  Nature  and  Nature's  laws.  "Athletes 
appreciate  the  value  of  physical  training :  brain- 
workers  appreciate  the  value  of  mental  training,  of 
thinking  before  acting,  and  if  you  would  become 
either  you  must  follow  the  methods  of  both." 

Many  of  our  foremost  educators  in  all  branches 
of  development,  physical,  mental  and  musical,  are 
now  making  a  bold  stand  for  natural  methods  of 
education.  However,  all  vocal  training  and  de- 
velopment in  the  past,  we  are  glad  to  say,  has  not 
been  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  question. 

There  have  been,  at  all  ages  and  under  all  cir- 
cumstances and  conditions,  men  who  have  been  at 
the  root  or  the  bottom  of  things,  —  men  who  have 


The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art.     23 

preserved  the  truth  in  spite  of  their  surroundings. 
So  in  the  vocal  art,  there  have  been  at  every 
decade  a  few  men  who  have  known  the  truth,  and 
who  have  handed  it  down  through  the  dark  ages 
of  the  vocal  art.  The  work  of  these  men  has  not 
been  lost.  Its  influence  has  been  felt,  and  is  to- 
day more  powerful  than  ever.  Hence  the  trend 
of  the  best  thought  of  the  profession  is  away  from 
the  ideas  of  the  local-effort  school,  away  from 
rigidity  and  artificiality,  and  more  in  the  direction 
of  naturalness  and  common  sense.  I  believe  we 
are  now,  as  a  profession,  slowly  but  surely  awaken- 
ing to  truths  which  will  grow,  and  which  will  in 
time  bring  to  pass  that  which  must  come  sooner 
or  later,  the  new  school  of  the  twentieth  century. 

There  is  to-day  that  which  is  known  as  "  The 
New  Movement  in  the  Vocal  Art  "  —  a  movement 
based  upon  natural  laws  and  common  sense  and 
opposed  to  the  ideas  of  the  local-effort  school ;  — 
a  movement  in  the  direction  of  freedom  of  action, 
spontaneity  and  flexible  strength  as  opposed  to 
rigidity  and  direct  effort ;  —  a  movement  which  ad- 
vocates vitalized  energy  instead  of  muscular  effort ; 
—  a  movement  which  had  its  origin  in  the  belief 
that  no  man  ever  learned  to  sing  because  he  locally 
fixed  or  puckered  his  lips ;  because  he  held  down 
his  tongue  with  a  spatulum  or  a  spoon  ;  because 


24     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

he  locally  lowered  or  raised  his  soft  palate ;  be- 
cause he  consciously  moved  or  locally  fixed  his 
larynx ;  because  he  consciously,  rigidly  set  or  firmly 
pulled  in  one  direction  or  another,  his  breathing 
muscles ;  because  he  carried  an  unnaturally  high 
chest  at  the  sacrifice  of  form,  position  and  strength 
in  every  other  way ;  because  he  sang  with  a  stick 
or  a  pencil  or  a  cork  in  his  mouth  ;  or  because  he 
did  a  hundred  other  unnatural  things  too  foolish  to 
mention.  No  man  ever  learned  or  ever  will  learn 
to  sing  because  of  these  things.  It  is  true  he  may 
have  learned  to  sing  in  spite  of  them,  which  shows 
that  Nature  is  kind ;  but  as  compared  to  the  whole, 
he  is  one  in  a  thousand. 

"The  New  Movement"  has  come  to  stay.  It 
will,  of  course,  meet  with  bitter  opposition.  Why 
not  ?  The  custom  of  many  has  been,  and  is,  to 
condemn  without  investigation ;  to  condemn  be- 
cause it  does  not  happen  to  be  in  the  line  of  their 
teaching  and  study.  Someone  has  said,  "  He  who 
condemns  without  knowledge  or  investigation  is 
dishonest." 

"  The  New  Movement "  is  simply  a  study  of 
the  conditions  which  allow  the  phenomena  of  voice 
to  occur  naturally  and  automatically.  The  day 
will  come,  when  a  right  training  of  the  voice 
will  be  recognized  as  a  flexible,  artistic,  physical 


The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art.     25 

training  of  the  human  body,  and  a  consequent 
right  use  of  the  voice,  as  a  soulful  expression 
of  the  emotional  nature.  Matter  or  muscle  will 
be  taught  to  obey  mind  or  will  spontaneously.  The 
thought  before  the  effort,  or  rather  before  the 
action,  will  be  the  controlling  influence,  and  vital- 
ized emotional  energy  will  be  the  true  motor  power 
of  the  voice.  The  elocutionists  and  the  physical 
culturists  understand  this  far  better,  as  a  rule,  than 
the  vocalists. 

Abuse  brings  reform  in  art  as  well  as  in  all  other 
things.  So  the  abuse  of  Nature's  laws  and  the 
lack  of  common  sense  in  the  training  of  the  singing 
voice  has  led,  through  a  gradual  evolution,  to  "The 
New  Movement."  This  movement  is  the  out- 
growth of  the  best  or  advanced  thought  of  the 
profession  rebelling  against  unnatural  methods. 

In  the  fundamental  principles  of  "The  New 
Movement,"  there  is  nothing  new  claimed  by  its 
advocates.  All  is  founded  upon  the  science  of 
voice,  as  are  all  true  systems  of  teaching.  The 
claims  are  made  with  regard  to  the  devices  used  to 
study  natural  laws,  to  develop  the  God-given  powers 
of  the  singer.  Remember  that  Nature  incarnates 
or  reflects  God's  thoughts  and  desires  and  not 
man's  ideas  or  inventions.  Someone  has  said  that 
there  was  nothing  new,  nor  could  there  be  anything 


16     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

new,  in  the  art  of  singing.  There  are  many,  alas ! 
who  talk  and  write  as  did  this  man.  Is  not  this 
simply  proof  of  the  fact  that  ignorance  cheapens 
and  belittles  that  which  wisdom  views  with  awe 
and  admiration  ?  And  this  is  true  of  nothing  so 
much  as  it  is  of  the  arts  and  sciences. 

Is,  then,  ours  in  all  the  world,  the  only  profession 
based  upon  science  and  art  that  must  stand  still, 
that  must  accept  blindly  the  traditions  handed 
down  to  us,  without  investigation  ?  Are  we  to  feel 
and  believe  that  with  us  progress  is  impossible,  that 
we  may  not  and  cannot  keep  up  with  the  spirit  of 
the  age?  God  forbid.  Is  it  not  true  that  "each 
age  refutes  much  which  a  previous  age  believed, 
and  all  things  human  wax  old  and  vanish  away  to 
make  room  for  new  developments,  new  ideals,  new 
possibilities "  ?  Is  it  possible  this  is  true  of  all 
professions  but  ours  ?  The  signs  of  the  times 
indicate  differently.  Hence  we  may  confidently 
expect  the  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art  in  this, 
the  first  half  of  the  new  century. 


ARTICLE   FIVE. 

THE   COMING    SCHOOL,    OR   SYSTEM. 

THIS  is  an  age  of  progress  ;  and,  as  we  have  said, 
many  educators  are  making  a  bold  stand  for  nat- 
ural, common-sense  methods.  The  trend  of  the 
higher  thought  of  the  vocal  profession  is  away 
from  artificiality,  and  in  the  direction  of  natural- 
ness. 

The  coming  school,  or  system,  of  the  twentieth 
century  will  undoubtedly  find  its  form,  its  power, 
its  expressional  and  artistic  force  and  value,  its 
home,  its  life,  in  America.  The  old  country  is  too 
much  in  the  toils,  too  much  in  the  ruts  of  tradi- 
tion ;  hence  natural  forces  are  suppressed,  and  arti- 
ficiality reigns  supreme  in  the  training  of  the  voice. 
While  this  is  not  true  in  regard  to  the  strictly  aes- 
thetic side  of  the  question,  it  is  painfully  true  as 
far  as  the  fundamental  principles  of  voice  develop- 
ment are  concerned.  Of  course  we  are  glad  to  say 
there  are  bright  and  shining  exceptions  to  this  rule 
in  all  lands,  but  to  the  new  country  we  must  un- 
doubtedly look  for  the  new  school. 

27 


28     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

So  far  the  world  has  produced  but  two  great 
teachers.  The  first  of  these  is  Nature ;  the  sec- 
ond is  Common  Sense.  Nature  lays  down  the 
fundamental  principles  of  voice;  Common  Sense 
formulates  the  devices  for  development  according 
to  these  principles.  Therefore  we  say,  Go  to  Na- 
ture and  learn  of  her,  and  use  Common  Sense  in 
studying  and  developing  her  principles.  The 
nearer  the  approach  to  Nature,  the  higher  the  art ; 
hence  the  new  school  must  be  founded  upon  artis- 
tic laws  which  are  Nature's  laws,  and  not  upon 
artificiality. 

The  coming  school  must  teach  the  idealized 
tone.  The  ideal  in  its  completeness  means  the 
truth,  —  all  the  truth,  —  and  not,  as  many  sup- 
pose, an  exaggerated  form  of  expression.  The 
truth  in  tone,  or  the  idealized  tone,  is  beautiful  and 
soulful,  and  demands  for  its  production  and  use  all 
the  forces  that  Nature  has  given  to  the  singer,  — 
physical,  mental,  and  emotional  or  spirituelle.  Un- 
musical, muscular  tone  is  not  the  true  tone.  It 
contains  much  that  it  should  not  have  on  the  physi- 
cal side,  and  lacks  much  that  it  should  have  on  the 
spirituelle.  As  a  rule,  it  means  nothing ;  in  fact, 
it  is  often  simply  a  noise.  The  idealized  tone  al- 
ways represents  a  thought,  an  idea,  an  emotion ;  it 
is  the  expression  of  the  inner — the  higher  —  man; 
it  is,  in  reality,  self-expression. 


The  Coming  School,  or  System.        29 

"  The  human  voice  is  the  most  delicately  attuned 
musical  instrument  that  God  has  created.  It  is 
capable  of  a  cultivation  beyond  the  dreams  of  those 
who  have  given  it  no  thought.  It  maybe  made  to 
express  every  emotion  in  the  gamut  of  human  sen- 
sation, from  abject  misery  to  boundless  ecstasy. 
It  marks  the  man  without  his  consent ;  it  makes 
the  man  if  he  will  but  cultivate  it." 

The  coming  school  must  be  founded  upon  free- 
dom of  form  and  action,  upon  flexible  bodily  move- 
ments, the  result  of  vitalized  energy  instead  of 
muscular  effort.  There  must  be  no  set,  rigid, 
static  condition  of  the  muscles.  Artistic  singing 
is  a  form  of  self-expression  ;  and  self-expression,  to 
be  natural  and  beautiful,  must  be  the  result  of  cor- 
rect position  and  action. 

The  first  principle  of  artistic  singing  is  the  re- 
moval of  all  restraint.  This  is  a  fundamental  law 
of  Nature  and  cannot  be  changed.  Under  the  in- 
fluence of  direct  local  muscular  effort,  the  removal 
of  all  restraint  is  impossible.  Hence  the  coming 
school  must  be  based  upon  free  flexible  action.  In 
this  respect  it  will  be  much  like  the  old  Italian 
school,  except  that  it  will  be  as  far  in  advance  of 
the  old  school  in  the  science  of  voice  as  the  twen- 
tieth century  is  in  advance  of  the  eighteenth.  It 
must  also  be  far  in  advance  of  the  old  school  in 


30     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

the  devices  used  to  develop  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciples of  voice. 

In  this  age  of  progress  and  knowledge  of  laws 
and  facts,  the  new  school,  under  the  influence  of 
Nature's  laws  and  common  sense,  with  the  aid  of 
flexible  movements  and  vitalized  energy,  must  do 
as  much  for  the  development  of  the  singing  voice 
in  three  or  four  years  as  the  old  school  was  able  to 
do  in  eight  or  ten.  This  is  necessary,  both  because 
the  singing  world  demands  it,  and  Nature  and  com- 
mon sense  teach  us  that  it  does  not  take  years  and 
years  of  hard  study  and  practice  simply  to  develop 
the  voice.  From  a  strictly  musical  standpoint, 
however,  it  does  take  years  to  ripen  a  great  singer, 
to  make  a  great  artist.  Many  voices  are  ruined 
musically  by  years  of  hard,  muscular  practice. 
Hence  we  say  the  new  school  must  give  the  voice 
freedom,  and  remove  all  muscular  restraint  by  or 
through  natural,  common-sense,  vitalized  move- 
ments. 


ARTICLE   SIX. 

CONDITIONS. 

NATURE'S  laws  are  God's  laws.  All  nature, 
the  universe  itself,  is  an  expression  of  God's 
thoughts  or  desires  in  accordance  with  His  laws. 
This  one  controlling  force,  this  principle  of  law,  is 
at  the  bottom  of  everything  in  nature  and  art. 
Everything  which  man  says  or  does  under  normal, 
free  conditions,  is  self-expression,  an  expression  of 
his  inner  nature ;  but  this  expression  must  be  under 
the  law.  If  not,  the  expression  is  unnatural  and 
therefore  artificial.  This  principle,  which  holds 
true  in  all  of  man's  expression,  in  all  art,  is  in 
nothing  more  evident  than  in  the  use  of  the  sing- 
ing voice. 

"  Nature  does  nothing  for  man  except  what  she 
enables  him  to  do  for  himself."  Nature  gives  him 
much,  but  never  compels  him  to  use  what  she 
gives.  Man  is  a  free  agent.  He  can  obey  or 
violate  the  laws  of  Nature  at  will ;  but  he  cannot 
violate  Nature's  laws,  and  not  pay  the  penalty. 
This  thought  or  principle  constantly  stands  out  as 

31 


32     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

a  warning  to  the  vocal  world.  The  student  of  the 
voice  who  violates  Nature's  laws  must  not  expect 
to  escape  the  penalty,  which  is  hard,  harsh,  unmu- 
sical tone  or  ruined  voice.  Nature  demands 
certain  conditions  in  order  to  produce  beautiful, 
artistic  tone.  If  the  student  of  the  voice  desires 
to  develop  beautiful,  artistic  tone  he  is  compelled 
to  study  the  conditions,  the  fundamental  principles 
under  the  law ;  and  this  can  be  done  only  by  the 
use  of  common-sense  methods. 

All  artistic  tone  is  the  result  of  certain  condi- 
tions, conditions  demanded  by  Nature  and  not 
man's  ideas  or  fancies.  These  conditions  are  de- 
pendent upon  form  and  adjustment,  or  we  might 
better  say  adjustment  and  form,  as  form  is  the 
result  of  the  adjustment  of  the  parts.  So  far 
all  writers  on  the  voice,  and  all  teachers,  agree ; 
but  here  comes  the  parting  of  the  ways.  One  man 
attempts  form  and  adjustment  by  locally  influencing 
the  parts,  —  the  tongue,  the  lips,  the  soft  palate,  the 
larynx,  etc.  This  results  in  muscular  singing  and 
artificiality.  We  have  found  that  form  and  adjust- 
ment, to  be  right,  must  be  automatic.  This  con- 
dition cannot  be  secured  by  any  system  of  direct 
local  effort,  but  must  be  the  result  of  flexible, 
vitalized  bodily  movements  —  movements  which 
arouse  and  develop  all  the  true  conditions  of 


Conditions.  33 

tone ;  movements  which  allow  the  voice  to  sing 
spontaneously. 

The  fundamental  conditions  of  singing  demanded 
by  Nature  we  find  are  as  follows  : 

Natural  or  automatic  adjustment  of  the  organ  of 
sound,  and  of  all  the  parts. 

Approximation  of  the  breath  bands. 

Inflation  of  all  the  cavities. 

Non-interference  above  the  organ  of  sound. 

Automatic  breath-control. 

Freedom  of  form  and  action  of  all  the  parts 
above  the  larynx. 

High  placing  and  low  resonance. 

Automatic  articulation. 

Mental  and  emotional  vitality  or  energy. 

Free,  flexible,  vitalized  bodily  position  and 
action. 

It  is  not  my  intention  here  to  enlarge  upon  these 
conditions  to  any  extent.  I  have  already  done  so 
in  my  last  book,  "  Position  and  Action  in  Singing." 
I  know  many  writers  on  the  voice,  and  many 
teachers,  do  not  agree  with  me  on  this  subject  of 
conditions ;  but  facts  are  stubborn  things,  and  "  A 
physical  fact  is  as  sacred  as  a  moral  principle." 
"  The  sources  of  all  phenomena,  the  sources  of  all 
life,  intelligence  and  love,  are  to  be  sought  in  the 
internal  —  the  spiritual  realm  ;  not  in  the  external 


34     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

or  material."  "  A  man  is  considerably  out  of  date 
who  says  he  does  not  believe  a  thing,  simply  be- 
cause he  cannot  do  that  thing  or  does  not  under- 
stand how  the  thing  is  done.  There  are  three 
classes  of  people  —  the  *  wills,'  the  'won'ts,'  and 
the  '  can'ts ' :  the  first  accomplish  everything,  the 
second  oppose  everything,  and  the  third  fail  in 
everything."  These  things  [these  conditions]  can 
be  understood  and  fully  appreciated  by  investiga- 
tion only.  There  is  no  absolute  definite  knowledge 
in  this  world  except  that  gained  from  experience. 
The  voice  in  correct  use  is  always  tuned  like  an 
instrument.  This  must  be  in  order  to  have  reso- 
nance and  freedom,  and  this  is  done  only  through 
natural  or  automatic  adjustment  of  all  the  parts. 
In  singing  there  are  always  two  forces  in  action, 
pressure  and  resistance,  or  motor  power  and  con- 
trol. In  order  to  have  automatic  adjustment  these 
two  forces  must  prevail.  When  the  organ  of 
sound  is  automatically  adjusted,  the  breath  bands 
approximate :  This  gives  the  true  resisting  or  con- 
trolling force.  When  the  breath  bands  approxi- 
mate we  have  inflation  of  the  ventricles  of  the 
larynx,  the  most  important  of  all  the  resonance 
cavities,  for  when  this  condition  prevails  we  have 
freedom  of  tone,  and  the  inflation  of  all  other 
cavities.  And  not  only  this  ;  it  also  enables  us  to 


Conditions.  35 

remove  all  restraint  or  interference  from  the  parts 
above  the  larynx,  and  especially  from  the  intrinsic 
and  extrinsic  muscles  of  the  throat.  This  auto- 
matic adjustment,  approximation  of  the  breath 
bands  and  inflation  of  the  ventricles,  gives  us  a 
yet  more  important  condition,  namely,  automatic 
breath  control;  this  is  beyond  question  the  most 
important  of  all  problems  solved  for  the  singer 
through  this  system  of  flexible  vitalized  movements. 

The  removal  of  all  interference  or  direct  local 
control  of  the  parts  above  the  larynx,  gives  abso- 
lute freedom  of  form  and  action;  and  when  the 
form  and  action  are  free,  articulation  becomes 
automatic  and  spontaneous.  When  all  restraint 
is  thus  removed,  the  air  current  comes  to  the 
front,  and  we  secure  the  important  condition  of 
high  placing.  Furthermore,  under  these  conditions, 
when  the  air  current  strikes  the  roof  of  the  mouth 
freely,  it  is  reflected  into  the  inflated  cavities,  and 
there  is  heard  and  felt,  through  sympathetic  vibra- 
tion of  the  air  in  the  cavities,  added  resonance  or 
the  wonderful  reinforcing  power  of  inflation :  in 
this  way  is  secured  not  only  the  added  resonance 
of  all  other  cavities,  but  especially  the  resonance 
of  the  chest,  the  greatest  of  all  resonance  or  rein- 
forcing powers. 

When  the  voice  is  thus  freed  under  true  condi- 


3  6     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

tions,  it  is  possible  to  arouse  easily  and  quickly  the 
mental  and  emotional  power  and  vitality  of  the 
singer.  In  this  way  is  aroused  that  which  I  have 
called  the  singer's  sensation,  or,  for  want  of  a 
better  name,  the  third  power  of  the  voice.  This 
power  is  not  a  mere  fancy.  It  is  not  imagination  ; 
for  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the  complete  men- 
tal and  emotional  expression  of  the  singer,  to  the 
development  of  all  his  powers.  This  life  or  vital 
force  is  to  the  singer  a  definite,  controllable  power. 
"  Various  terms  have  been  applied  to  this  mysteri- 
ous force.  Plato  called  it  '  the  soul  of  the  world.' 
Others  called  it  the  'plastic  spirit  of  the  world,' 
while  Descartes  gave  it  the  afterward  popular  name 
of  « animal  spirits.'  The  Stoics  called  it  simply 
'nature,'  which  is  now  generally  changed  to  'ner- 
vous principle.' "  "  The  far-reaching  results  of  so 
quiet  and  yet  so  tremendous  a  force  may  be  seen 
in  the  lives  of  the  men  and  women  who  have  the 
mental  acumen  to  understand  what  is  meant  by  it." 
The  singer  who  has  developed  and  controlled  "  the 
third  power  "  through  the  true  conditions  of  voice, 
never  doubts  its  reality ;  and  he,  and  he  only,  is  able 
to  fully  appreciate  it. 

The  development  of  all  the  above  conditions 
depends  upon  one  important  thing,  the  education 
of  the  body  ;  upon  a  free,  flexible,  vitalized  body. 


ARTICLE   SEVEN. 

THE    INFLUENCE    OF    RIGHT    BODILY    ACTION. 

IN  art,  as  in  all  things  else,  man  must  be  under 
the  law  until  he  becomes  a  law  unto  himself.  In 
other  words,  he  must  study  his  technique,  his 
nethod,  his  art,  until  all  becomes  a  part  of  himself, 
becomes,  as  it  were,  second  nature.  There  is  a 
wide  difference  between  art  and  artificiality.  True 
art  is  based  upon  Nature's  laws.  Artificiality,  in 
almost  every  instance,  is  a  violation  of  Nature's 
laws,  and  at  best  is  but  a  poor  imitation. 

The  impression  prevails  that  art  is  something  far 
off,  something  that  is  within  the  grasp  of  the  fa- 
vored few  only.  We  say  of  a  man,  he  is  a  genius, 
and  we  bow  down  to  him  accordingly.  The  genius 
is  an  artist  by  the  grace  of  God  and  his  own  efforts. 
Nature  has  given  some  men  the  power  to  easily 
and  quickly  grasp  and  understand  things  which 
pertain  to  art,  but  if  such  men  do  not  apply  their 
understanding  they  never  become  great  or  useful 
artists.  Talent  is  the  ability  to  study  and  apply, 
and  is  of  a  little  lower  order  than  genius ;  but  the 
genius  of  application,  and  the  talent  to  apply  that 

37 


38     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

which  is  learned,  have  made  the  great  and  useful 
men,  the  great  artists  of  the  world.  As  someone 
has  said,  "  Art  is  not  a  thing  separate  and  apart ; 
art  is  only  the  best  way  of  doing  things ; "  and 
while  this  is  true  of  all  the  arts,  it  is  eminently  so 
of  the  art  of  voice  and  of  song. 

Artistic  tone,  as  we  have  found,  is  the  result  of 
certain  conditions  demanded  by  Nature.  These 
conditions  are  dependent  upon  form  and  adjust- 
ment ;  and  form  and  adjustment,  to  be  right,  must 
be  automatic.  All  writers  and  teachers  agree  that 
correct  tone  is  the  result  of  form  and  adjustment ; 
but  here,  as  we  have  said,  comes  the  parting  of 
the  ways.  One  man  attempts,  by  directly  con- 
trolling and  adjusting  the  parts,  to  do  that  which 
nature  alone  can  do  correctly ;  result  —  hard, 
muscular  tone.  Another  attempts,  by  relaxation, 
to  secure  the  conditions  of  tone ;  result  —  vocal 
depression,  or  depressed,  relaxed  tone. 

If  artistic  tone  be  the  result  of  conditions  due  to 
form  and  adjustment,  and  if  form  and  adjustment, 
to  be  right,  must  be  automatic,  if  these  things  are 
true,  and  they  are  as  true  as  the  fact  that  the 
world  moves,  then  there  is  only  one  way  under 
heaven  by  which  it  is  possible  to  secure  these  con- 
ditions ;  that  way  is  through  a  flexible,  vitalized 
body,  through  flexible  bodily  position  and  action. 


Influence  of  Right  Bodily  Action.      39 

The  rigid,  muscular  school  cannot  secure  these 
conditions,  for  they  make  flexible  freedom  impos- 
sible. The  limp,  relaxed  school  cannot  secure 
them,  for  there  is  no  tone  without  tonicity  and 
vitality  of  muscle.  Vitalized  energy  can  secure 
these  true  conditions,  but  through  flexible  bodily 
position  and  action  only. 

The  rigid  school  is  muscle-bound,  and  lacks  life 
and  vitality.  The  limp  school,  of  course,  is  de- 
pressed and  lacks  energy.  The  world  is  full  of 
dead  singers,  —  dead  so  far  as  vitality  and  emo- 
tional energy  are  concerned.  Singing  is  a  form 
of  emotional  or  self-expression,  and  requires  life 
and  vitality.  Life  is  action.  Life  is  vital  force 
aroused.  Life  in  singing  is  emotional  energy. 
Life  is  a  God-given,  eternal  condition,  and  is  a 
fundamental  principle  of  the  true  art  of  song. 

It  is  wonderfully  strange  that  this  idea  or  prin- 
ciple of  flexible,  vitalized  bodily  position  and  action 
is  not  better  understood  by  the  vocal  profession. 
That  a  right  use  or  training  of  the  body,  automati- 
cally influences  form  and  adjustment,  and  secures 
right  conditions  of  tone,  has  been  and  is  being 
demonstrated  day  by  day.  This  is  a  revelation  to 
many  who  have  tried  to  sing  by  the  rigid  or  limp 
methods.  There  is  really  nothing  new  claimed  for 
it,  for  it  is  as  old  as  the  hills.  Truth  is  eternal, 


40     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

and  yet  a  great  truth  may  be  lost  to  the  world  for 
a  time.  The  only  things  new  which  we  claim,  are 
the  movements  and  the  simple  and  effective  de- 
vices used  to  study  and  apply  them.  These  move- 
ments have  a  wonderful  influence  on  the  voice, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  they  are  based  upon 
Nature's  laws  and  common  sense.  These  truths  are 
destined  to  influence,  sooner  or  later,  the  entire 
vocal  world. 

A  great  truth  cannot  always  be  suppressed,  and 
some  day  someone  will  present  these  truths  in  a 
way  that  will  compel  their  recognition.  They  are 
never  doubted  now  by  those  who  understand  them, 
and  they  are  appreciated  by  such  to  a  degree  of 
enthusiasm.  I  am  well  aware  that  when  these 
movements  are  spoken  of  in  the  presence  of  the 
followers  of  the  prevailing  rigid  or  limp  schools, 
they  exclaim,  "  Why,  we  do  the  same  thing.  We 
use  the  body  too."  Of  course  they  use  the  body, 
but  it  is  by  no  means  the  same.  Their  use  of  the 
body  is  often  abuse,  and  not  only  of  the  body,  but 
of  the  voice  as  well. 

The  influence  on  the  singing  voice  of  a  rightly 
used  or  rightly  trained  body  is  almost  beyond  the 
ability  of  man  to  put  in  words. 

All  singing  should  be  rhythmical.  These  flexible 
bodily  movements  develop  rhythm. 


Influence  of  Right  Bodily  Action.      41 

All  singing  should  be  the  result  of  vitalized 
energy  and  never  of  muscular  effort.  These 
movements  arouse  energy  and  make  direct  effort 
unnecessary. 

Singing  should  be  restful,  should  be  the  result 
of  power  in  repose  or  under  control.  These  move- 
ments, and  these  movements  alone,  make  such 
conditions  possible. 

All  singing  should  be  idealized,  should  be  the 
result  of  self-expression,  of  an  expression  of  the 
emotions.  This  is  impossible  except  through  cor- 
rect bodily  action.  "  By  nature  the  expression  of 
man  is  his  voice,  and  the  whole  body  through  the 
agency  of  that  invisible  force,  sound,  expresses  the 
nobility,  dignity,  and  intellectual  emotions,  from 
the  foot  to  the  head,  when  properly  produced  and 
balanced.  Nothing  short  of  the  whole  body  can 
express  this  force  perfectly  in  man  or  woman." 

These  movements  develop  in  a  common-sense 
way  the  power  of  natural  forces,  of  all  the  forces 
which  Nature  has  given  to  man  for  the  produc- 
tion and  use  of  the  voice.  Rigid,  set  muscles,  or 
relaxed,  limp  muscles  dwarf  and  limit  in  every 
way  the  powers  of  the  singer,  physical,  mental, 
and  emotional ;  the  physical  action  is  wrong,  the 
thought  is  wrong,  and  the  expression  is  wrong.  A 
trained,  developed  muscle  responds  to  thought,  to 


42     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art 

right  thought,  in  a  free,  natural  mannner.  A  rigid 
or  limp  muscle  is,  in  a  certain  sense,  for  the  time 
being,  actually  out  of  use. 

An  important  point  to  consider  in  this  connec- 
tion is  the  fact  that  there  is  no  strength  properly 
applied  without  movement ;  but  when  right  move- 
ments are  not  used,  the  voice  is  pushed  and  forced 
by  local  effort  and  by  contraction  of  the  lung  cells 
and  of  the  throat.  This  of  course  means  physi- 
cal restraint,  and  physical  restraint  prevents  self- 
expression.  Singing  is  more  psychological  than 
physiological ;  hence  the  importance  of  free  self- 
expression.  Direct  physical  effort  produces  physi- 
cal effect ;  relaxation  produces  depression. 

All  artistic  tone  is  reinforced  sound.  There  are 
two  ways  of  reinforcing  tone.  First,  by  direct  mus- 
cular effort,  the  wrong  way ;  second,  by  expansion 
and  inflation,  the  added  resonance  of  air  in  the 
cavities,  the  right  way.  This  condition  of  expan- 
sion and  inflation  is  the  distinguishing  feature  of 
many  great  voices,  and  is  possible  only  through 
right  bodily  position  and  action.  These  move- 
ments are  used  by  many  great  artists,  who  develop 
them  as  they  themselves  develop,  through  giving 
expression  to  thought,  feeling,  and  emotion,  through 
using  the  impressive,  persuasive  tone,  the  fervent 
voice.  This  brings  into  action  the  entire  vocal 


Influence  of  Right  Bodily  Action.      43 

mechanism,  in  fact  all  the  powers  of  the  singer; 
hence  these  movements  become  a  part  of  the  great 
artist.  He  may  not  be  able  to  give  a  reason  for 
them,  but  he  knows  their  value.  The  persuasive, 
fervent  voice  demands  spontaneity  and  automatic 
form  and  adjustment ;  these  conditions  are  impos- 
sible without  flexible,  vitalized  movements.  The 
great  artist  finds  by  experience  that  the  throat  was 
made  to  sing  and  not  to  sing  with ;  that  he  must 
sing  from  the  body  through  the  throat.  He  finds 
that  the  tone  must  be  allowed  and  not  made  to 
sing.  Hence  in  the  most  natural  way  he  develops 
vitalized  bodily  energy. 

Next  in  importance  to  absolute  freedom  of 
voice,  which  these  movements  give,  is  the  fact 
that  through  them  absolute,  automatic,  perfect 
breath-control  is  developed  and  mastered.  These 
movements  give  the  breath  without  a  thought  of 
breathing,  for  they  are  all  breathing  movements. 
The  singer  cannot  lift  and  expand  without  filling 
the  lungs  naturally  and  automatically,  unless  he 
purposely  resists  the  breath.  The  conscious  breath 
unseats  the  voice,  that  is,  disturbs  or  prevents 
correct  adjustment,  and  thus  compels  him  to  con- 
sciously hold  it ;  but  this  very  act  makes  it  impos- 
sible to  give  the  voice  freedom.  Through  these 
movements,  through  correct  position,  we  secure 


44     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

automatic  adjustment,  which  means  approximation 
of  the  breath  bands,  the  principle  of  the  double 
valve  in  the  throat,  which  secures  automatic  breath- 
control.  In  other  words,  the  singer  whose  position 
and  action  are  correct  need  never  give  his  breathing 
a  thought.  This  is  considered  by  many  as  the 
greatest  problem  —  for  the  singer  —  solved  in  the 
nineteenth  century. 

To  study  and  master  these  movements  and  apply 
them  practically,  the  singer  needs  to  know  abso- 
lutely nothing  of  the  mechanism  of  his  vocal 
organs.  He  need  not  consider  at  all  the  physio- 
logical side  of  the  question.  Of  course  the  study 
of  these  movements  must  at  first  be  more  or  less 
mechanical,  until  they  respond  automatically  to 
thought  or  will.  Then  they  are  controlled  men- 
tally, the  thought  before  the  action,  as  should  be 
the  case  in  all  singing;  and  finally  the  whole 
mechanism,  or  all  movements,  respond  naturally 
and  freely  to  emotional  or  self-expression. 

These  flexible,  vitalized  movements  are  not  gen- 
erally understood  or  used,  because  they  have  not 
been  in  the  line  of  thought  or  study  of  the  rigid 
muscular  school  or  the  limp  relaxed  school;  and 
yet  they  are  destined  to  influence  sooner  or  later 
all  systems  of  singing.  They  have  been  used  more 
or  less  in  all  ages  by  great  artists.  It  is  strange 


Influence  of  Right  Bodily  Action.      45 

that  they  are  not  better  understood  by  the  pro- 
fession. 


In  this  connection  it  might  be  well  to  speak  of 
the  importance  of  physical  culture  for  the  singer. 
A  series  of  simple  but  effective  exercises  should 
be  used,  exercises  that  will  develop  and  vitalize 
every  muscle  of  the  body.  There  are  also  nerve 
calisthenics,  nervo-muscular  movements,  which 
strengthen  and  control  the  nervous  system. 
These  nerve  calisthenics  generate  electrical  vital- 
ity and  give  life  and  confidence.  "The  body  by 
certain  exercises  and  regime  may  be  educated  to 
draw  a  constantly  increasing  amount  of  vitality  from 
growing  nature." 

A  singer  to  be  successful  must  be  healthy  and 
strong.  He  should  take  plenty  of  out-door  exer- 
cise. Exercise,  fresh  air,  and  sunlight  are  the  three 
great  physicians  of  the  world.  But  beside  this,  all 
singers  need  physical  training  and  development, 
which  tense  and  harden  the  muscles,  and  increase 
the  lung  capacity ;  that  training  which  expands  all 
the  resonance  cavities,  especially  the  chest,  and 
which  directly  develops  and  strengthens  the  vocal 
muscles  themselves,  particularly  the  extrinsic  and 
intrinsic  muscles  of  the  throat.  As  we  have 
learned,  a  trained  muscle  responds  more  spontane- 


46     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

ously  to  thought  or  will  than  an  uneducated  one ; 
flexible  spontaneity  the  singer  always  needs.  Be- 
yond a  doubt,  the  singer  who  takes  a  simple 
but  effective  course  of  physical  training  in  con- 
nection with  vocal  training  will  accomplish  twice 
as  much  in  a  given  time,  in  regard  to  tone,  power 
and  control,  as  he  could  possibly  do  with  the  vocal 
training  alone.  This  is  the  day  of  physical  train- 
ing, of  physical  culture  in  all  things ;  and  the 
average  vocal  teacher  will  have  to  awake  to  the 
fact  that  his  pupils  need  it  as  much  as,  or  more 
than,  they  need  the  constant  practice  of  tone. 

Of  course  it  is  not  possible  to  give  a  system  of 
physical  training  in  a  small  work  like  this.  The 
student  of  the  voice  can  get  physical  training  and 
physical  culture  from  many  teachers  and  many 
books.  It  may  not  be  training  that  will  so  directly 
and  definitely  develop  and  strengthen  the  vocal 
muscles  and  the  organ  of  sound  itself,  or  training 
that  will  so  directly  influence  the  voice  as  does 
our  system,  which  is  especially  arranged  for  the 
singer ;  but  any  good  system  of  physical  develop- 
ment, any  system  that  gives  the  student  health 
and  strength,  is  good  for  the  singing  voice.  "  Ac- 
tivity is  the  source  of  growth,  both  physical  and 
mental."  "Strength  to  be  developed,  must  be 
used.  Strength  to  be  retained,  must  be  used." 


RAISON   D'ETRE. 

SINCE  writing  my  last  book,  "  Position  and  Ac- 
tion in  Singing,"  and  after  four  or  five  years  more 
of  experience,  I  have  been  doubly  impressed  and 
more  than  convinced  of  the  power  and  influence  of 
certain  things  necessary  to  a  right  training  and 
use  of  the  voice.  Herbert  Spencer  says,  "  Expe- 
rience is  the  sole  origin  of  knowledge ; "  and  my 
experience  has  convinced  me,  not  only  that  certain 
things  are  necessary  in  the  training  of  the  voice, 
but  that  certain  of  the  most  important  principles 
or  conditions  demanded  by  Nature,  are  entirely 
wanting  in  most  systems  of  singing. 

Singers,  as  a  rule,  are  artificial  and  unnatural. 
They  do  not  use  all  the  powers  with  which  Nature 
has  endowed  them.  This  has  been  most  forcibly 
impressed  upon  my  mind  by  the  general  lack  of 
vitality,  or  vital  energy,  among  singers ;  by  a  gen- 
eral lack  of  physical  vitality,  and,  I  venture  to  say, 
largely  of  mental  vitality,  and  undoubtedly  of  emo- 
tional vitality,  often,  but  mistakenly,  called  temper- 
ament. These  things  have  been  forced  upon  me 
by  the  general  condition  of  depression  which  pre- 
47 


48     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

vails.  Vitality,  however,  or  vitalized  energy,  is  in 
fact  the  true  means  or  device  whereby  the  singer 
is  enabled  to  arouse  his  temperament,  be  it  great 
or  otherwise ;  to  arouse  it,  to  use  it,  and  to  make 
it  felt  easily  and  naturally. 

Out  of  every  hundred  voices  tried  I  am  safe  in 
saying  that  at  least  ninety  are  physically  depressed, 
are  physically  below  the  standard  of  artistic  sing- 
ing. Singing,  it  is  true,  is  more  mental  than  phys- 
ical, and  more  emotional  than  mental ;  but  a  right 
physical  condition  is  absolutely  necessary,  and  the 
development  of  it  depends  upon  the  way  the  pupil 
is  taught  to  think.  Singing  is  a  form  of  self- 
expression,  of  an  expression  of  the  emotions.  This 
is  impossible  when  there  is  physical  depression. 
The  singer  must  put  himself  and  keep  himself 
upon  a  level  with  the  tone  and  upon  a  level  with 
his  song,  the  atmosphere  of  his  song  ;  upon  a  level 
with  the  sentiment  to  be  expressed,  physically, 
mentally  and  emotionally  This  cannot  be  done, 
or  these  conditions  cannot  prevail,  when  there  is 
depression. 

There  is,  to  my  mind,  but  one  way  to  account 
for  this  condition  of  depression  among  singers. 
That  is,  the  way  they  think,  or  are  taught  to  think, 
in  regard  to  the  use  of  their  bodies  in  singing. 
The  way  in  which  they  breathe  and  control  the 


Raison  D'Etre.  49 

breath,  the  way  in  which  they  drive  and  control 
the  tone.  It  is  the  result  of  rigid  muscular  effort 
or  relaxation,  and  both  depress  not  only  the  voice 
but  the  singer  as  well.  The  tonal  result  is  indis- 
putable evidence  of  this. 

Knowledge  comes  through  experience ;  and  my 
experience  in  studying  both  sides  of  this  question 
has  convinced  me  that  there  is  but  one  way  to 
develop  physical,  mental  and  emotional  vitality  in 
the  singer,  and  that  is  through  some  system  of 
flexible,  vitalized  bodily  movements.  There  must 
be  flexible  firmness,  firmness  without  rigidity. 
The  movements  as  given  in  my  book,  "Position 
and  Action  in  Singing,"  and  as  here  given,  develop 
these  conditions.  They  give  the  singer  physical 
vitality,  freedom  of  voice,  spontaneity,  absolute 
automatic  breath  control,  and  make  self-expression, 
emotional  expression,  and  tone-color,  not  only  pos- 
sible but  comparatively  easy.  Singing  is  self- 
expression,  an  expression  of  thought  and  feeling. 
There  must  be  a  medium,  however,  for  the  expres- 
sion of  feeling  aroused  through  thought ;  that 
medium  is  the  body  and  the  body  alone.  There- 
fore it  is  easy  to  see  the  importance  of  so  training 
the  body  that  it  will  respond  automatically  to  the 
thought  and  will  of  the  singer. 

The  opposite  of  depression,  which  local  effort 


50     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

develops,  is  vitalized  energy,  the  singer's  sensa- 
tion, that  which  I  have  called  the  third  power,  and 
which  is  a  revelation  to  those  who  have  studied 
both  sides  of  the  question.  These  things,  as  I 
have  said,  have  been  given  to  the  vocal  world 
in  my  book,  "Position  and  Action  in  Singing." 
Many  have  understood  them,  have  used  them,  and 
are  enthusiastic  advocates  of  the  idea.  Others 
have  not  fully  understood  them,  as  was  and  is  to 
be  expected.  For  that  reason  I  have  written  this 
little  book  in  the  hope  that  it  might  make  things 
plainer  to  all.  I  have  endeavored  to  embody  these 
practical,  natural,  necessary  movoments  in  the 
formula  of  study  given  in  this  book. 

The  formula  which  follows  is  systematically  and 
logically  arranged  for  the  study  and  development 
of  fundamental  principles  through  or  by  the  means 
of  these  flexible  vitalized  movements.  In  this  way 
I  hope  to  make  these  ideas  plainer  and  more  defi- 
nite to  pupil  and  teacher. 

Every  correct  system  of  voice-training  is  based 
upon  principle,  theory,  and  the  devices  used  to 
develop  the  principles.  There  are  certain  funda- 
mental principles  of  voice,  which  are  Nature's  laws 
laid  down  to  man,  and  which  cannot  be  violated. 
Upon  these  principles  we  formulate  theories.  The 
theories  may  be  right  or  wrong,  as  they  are  but 


Raison  D'Etre.  51 

the  works  of  man.  If  they  are  right,  the  devices 
used  are  more  apt  to  be  right.  If  they  are  wrong, 
wrong  effort  is  sure  to  follow,  and  the  result  is  dis- 
astrous. 

After  all,  the  most  important  question  for  con- 
sideration is  that  of  the  devices  used  to  develop 
and  train  the  voice.  All  depends  upon  whether 
the  writer,  the  teacher,  and  the  pupil  study  Nature's 
laws  through  common-sense  methods  or  resort  to 
artificiality.  If  the  devices  used  are  right,  if  they 
develop  vitality,  emotional  energy,  if  they  avoid 
rigidity  and  depression,  then  the  singer  need  not 
know  so  much  about  principle  and  theory.  But 
with  the  teacher  it  is  different.  He  must  know 
what  to  think  and  how  to  think  it  before  he  can 
intelligently  impart  the  ideas  to  his  pupils.  Hence 
a  system  based  upon  correct  principle,  theory,  and 
device  is  absolutely  necessary  for .  the  teacher  who 
hopes  to  succeed. 

The  following  system,  as  formulated,  is  largely 
the  outgrowth  of  my  summer  work  at  Point  Chau- 
tauqua,  on  Lake  Chautauqua.  There  we  have  a 
school  every  summer,  not  only  for  the  professional 
singer  and  teacher,  but  for  those  who  desire  to 
become  such.  Beside  the  private  lessons  we 
give  a  practical  normal  course  in  class  lessons. 
There  the  principles,  the  theory,  and  the  devices 


52     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

used  are  studied  and  worked  out  in  a  practical 
way  by  lecture,  by  illustration,  and  by  the  study 
of  all  kinds  of  voices.  Many  who  have  taught  for 
years  have  there  obtained  for  the  first  time  an 
idea,  the  true  idea,  of  flexible  vitalized  movements, 
the  devices  demanded  by  nature  for  giving  the 
voice  vitality,  freedom,  ease,  etc.  These  teachers 
who  are  thus  aroused  become  the  most  enthusias- 
tic supporters  of,  and  believers  in,  our  system  of 
flexible  vitalized  movements. 

It  is,  therefore,  through  the  Chautauqua  work 
that  I  have  been  impressed  with  the  importance  of 
placing  this  system  in  a  plainer  and  more  definite 
way,  if  possible,  before  the  vocal  world. 


part  Seconfc. 

VITALITY. 


ARTICLE    ONE. 

THE    FIRST    PRINCIPLE    OF    ARTISTIC    TONE- 
PRODUCTION. 

THE  first  principle  of  artistic  tone-production  is 
The  Removal  of  All  Restraint. 

The  theory  founded  upon  this  principle  is  as 
follows :  Correct  tone  is  the  result  of  certain 
conditions  demanded  by  Nature,  not  man's  ideas. 
These  conditions  are  dependent  upon  form  and 
adjustment ;  and  form  and  adjustment,  to  be  right, 
must  be  automatic,  and  not  the  result  of  direct  or 
local  effort. 

The  devices  used  for  developing  the  above  con- 
ditions are  simple  vocal  exercises  which  are  favor- 
able to  correct  form  and  adjustment,  and  are 
studied  and  made  to  influence  the  voice  through 
correct  position  and  action. 

A  correct  system  for  training  and  developing 
the  voice  must  be  based  upon  principle,  theory, 
and  device ;  upon  the  principles  of  voice  which  are 
Nature's  laws,  upon  the  theories  based  upon  these 

55 


56     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

principles,  and  upon  the  devices  for  the  study  and 
development  of  such  principles. 

My  purpose  in  this  little  work  is  to  give  just 
enough  musical  figures  or  exercises  to  enable  us 
to  study  and  apply  the  movements,  the  practical 
part  of  our  system. 

The  first  principle  of  artistic  tone-production  is 
the  removal  of  all  restraint.  This  no  one  can 
deny  without  stultifying  himself.  The  removal  of 
all  restraint  means  absolute  freedom,  not  only  of 
form  and  action,  but  of  tone.  It  is  evident,  then, 
that  any  local  hardening  or  contracting  of  muscle, 
any  tension  or  contraction  which  would  prevent 
elasticity,  would  make  the  removal  of  all  restraint 
impossible.  Hence  we  find  that  this  first  prin- 
ciple is  an  impossibility  with  the  rigid  local-effort 
school.  On  the  other  hand,  relaxation,  while  it 
may  remove  restraint,  makes  artistic  control  and 
tonicity  impossible.  Hence  artistic  tone,  based 
upon  this  first  principle,  is  an  impossible  condi- 
tion with  the  limp  or  relaxed  school. 

That  tone  is  the  result  of  certain  conditions 
demanded  by  Nature,  and  that  these  conditions 
are  dependent  upon  form  and  adjustment,  cannot 
be  denied ;  but  unless  form  and  adjustment  give 
freedom  to  the  voice,  unless  they  result  in  the 
removal  of  all  restraint,  then  the  manner  or 


First  Principle  of  Tone-production.     57 

method  in  which  they  are  secured  must  surely  be 
wrong.  Local  effort  or  contraction  cannot  do 
this.  Relaxation  cannot  secure  the  true  condi- 
tions. There  is  and  can  be  but  one  principle 
which  makes  true  form  and  adjustment  possible: 
All  form  and  adjustment  must  be  automatic,  and 
not  the  result  of  direct  or  local  effort. 

This  brings  us  to  a  study  of  devices ;  and  de- 
vices, to  influence  correctly  not  only  the  voice  but 
the  individual,  must  be  in  accordance  with  natural 
and  not  artificial  conditions.  The  singer  must 
put  himself  and  keep  himself  upon  a  level  with 
the  tone  —  upon  a  level  with  the  tone  physically, 
mentally  and  emotionally.  The  device  which  we 
use,  or  the  formula,  is,  lift,  expand,  and  let  go. 

With  the  singer  who  contracts  the  throat 
muscles  during  the  act  of  singing,  that  which  may 
be  called  the  center  of  gravity  or  of  effort  is  at 
the  throat.  With  the  singer  who  carries  a  con- 
sciously high  chest  and  a  drawn-in  or  contracted 
diaphragm,  the  center  of  gravity  is  at  the  chest. 
With  the  singer  who  takes  a  conscious  full  breath, 
and  hardens  and  sets  the  diaphragm  to  hold  it, 
the  center  of  gravity  is  at  the  diaphragm.  In 
none  of  these  cases  is  it  possible  to  remove  all 
restraint ;  for  they  all  result  in  contraction,  espe- 
cially of  the  throat  muscles,  and  make  flexible 


58     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

expansion  —  a  condition  necessary  to  absolute 
freedom  —  impossible. 

Place  the  center  of  gravity,  by  thought  and 
action,  at  the  hips.  Everything  above  the  hips 
must  be  free,  flexible,  elastic  and  vitalized  when 
singing.  We  say,  lift,  expand,  and  let  go,  which 
must  be  in  the  following  proportion  :  Lift  a  little, 
expand  more  than  you  lift,  and  let  go  entirely. 
The  lift  is  from  the  hips  up,  and  must  be  done  in  a 
free,  flexible  manner,  with  a  constant  study  to 
make  the  body  lighter  and  lighter,  and  the  move- 
ment more  elastic  and  flexible.  Do  not  lift  as 
though  lifting  a  weight,  but  lift  lightly  as  though 
in  response  to  thought  or  suggestion. 

Expand  the  entire  body  in  a  flexible,  elastic 
manner.  This  will  bring  into  action  every  muscle 
of  the  body,  and  apply  strength  and  support  to  the 
voice ;  for,  as  we  have  found,  there  is  no  strength 
correctly  applied  except  through  right  movement. 
When  we  lift  and  expand  properly,  we  expand  the 
body  as  a  whole,  and  not  the  chest  alone,  nor  the 
diaphragm,  nor  the  sides.  These  all  come  into 
action  and  expand  with  proper  movement  ;  but 
there  must  be  no  conscious  thought  of,  nor  con- 
scious local  effort  of,  any  particular  part  of  the 
body.  When  we  lift  and  expand  properly  the 
chest  becomes  active,  the  diaphragm  goes  into  a 


First  Principle  of  Tone-production.     59 

singing  position,  and  every  muscle  of  the  body  is 
on  the  alert  and  ready  to  respond  to  the  thought 
or  desire  of  the  singer.  Not  only  this ;  when  we 
lift  and  expand  properly,  we  influence  directly  the 
form  and  adjustment  of  all  the  vocal  muscles,  and 
especially  the  organ  of  sound  itself.  In  this  way 
the  voice  is  actually  and  artistically  tuned  for  the 
production  of  correct  tone,  as  is  the  violin  in  the 
hands  of  the  master  before  playing. 

Lift,  expand,  and  let  go.  This  brings  us  to  a 
consideration  of  the  third  part  of  this  expression, 
let  go.  This  is  in  some  respects  the  most  impor- 
tant of  the  three ;  for  unless  the  singer  knows  how 
to  let  go  properly,  absolute  freedom  or  the  removal 
of  all  restraint  is  impossible,  and  the  true  condi- 
tions of  tone  are  lacking.  The  let  go  does  not 
mean  relaxation,  for  there  must  be  flexible  firm- 
ness without  rigidity.  With  the  beginner  the 
tendency  is  to  lift,  expand,  and  harden  or  contract 
all  the  muscles.  This,  of  course,  means  restraint. 
The  correct  idea  of  let  go  may  be  studied  and 
better  understood  by  the  following  experiment  or 
illustration. 

Stand  with  the  right  arm  hanging  limp  by  the 
side.  Lift  it  to  a  horizontal  position,  the  back  of 
the  hand  upward.  While  lifting,  grip  and  contract 
every  muscle  of  the  arm  and  hand  out  to  the 


60     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

finger-tips.  This  is  much  like  the  contraction 
placed  upon  the  muscles  of  the  body  and  of 
the  throat  by  the  conscious-breathing,  local-effort 
school.  Lift  the  arm  again  from  the  side,  and 
in  lifting  have  the  thought  or  sensation  of  letting 
go  all  contraction  of  the  muscles.  Make  the  arm 
light  and  flexible,  and  use  just  enough  strength  to 
lift  it,  and  hold  it  in  a  horizontal  position.  This 
should  be  the  condition  of  all  the  muscles  of  the 
body  under  the  influence  of  correct,  lift,  expand, 
and  let  go.  Lift  the  arm  the  third  time  without 
contraction  or  with  the  sensation  of  letting  go, 
hold  it  in  a  horizontal  position,  the  back  of  the 
hand  upward.  Now  will  to  devitalize  the  entire 
hand  from  the  wrist  to  the  finger-tips.  Let  the 
hand  drop  or  droop,  the  arm  remaining  in  a  hori- 
zontal position.  This  condition  of  the  hand  is  the 
let  go,  or  the  condition  of  devitalization,  which 
should  be  upon  the  muscles  of  the  face,  the  mouth, 
the  tongue,  the  jaw,  and  the  extrinsic  muscles  of 
the  throat  during  the  act  of  singing. 

Thus,  when  we  say,  lift,  expand,  and  let  go,  we 
mean  lift  from  the  hips,  the  center  of  gravity,  in 
an  easy,  flexible  manner ;  expand  the  body  with 
a  free  movement  without  conscious  thought  of  any 
part  of  it ;  have  the  sensation  of  letting  go  all 
contraction  or  rigidity,  and  absolutely  release  the 


First  Principle  of  Tone-production.     61 

muscles  of  the  throat  and  face.  The  let  go  is  in 
reality  more  a  negative  than  a  positive  condition, 
and  virtually  means,  when  you  lift  and  expand,  do 
not  locally  grip,  harden,  or  set  any  muscle  of  the 
body,  throat,  or  face. 

The  lift,  expand,  and  let  go  must  be  in  pro- 
portion to  the  pitch  and  power  of  the  tone.  This, 
if  done  properly,  will  result  in  automatic  form  and 
adjustment,  the  removal  of  all  restraint,  and  open, 
free  throat  and  voice.  This  is  the  only  way  in 
which  it  is  possible  to  truly  vitalize,  to  arouse  the 
physical,  mental  and  emotional  powers  of  the 
singer.  This  is  the  only  way  in  which  it  is  pos- 
sible to  put  yourself  and  keep  yourself  upon  a 
level  with  the  tone  —  upon  a  level,  physically, 
mentally  and  emotionally.  This  is  in  truth  and 
in  fact  the  singer's  true  position  and  true  condi- 
tion ;  this  is  in  truth  and  in  fact  self-assertion ;  and 
this,  and  this  only,  makes  it  possible  to  easily  and 
naturally  arouse  "the  singer's  sensation,"  the  true 
sensation  of  artistic  singing. 

We  will  take  for  our  first  study  a  simple 
arpeggio,  using  the  syllables  Ya  ha,  thus : 


FIRST 
STUDY. 


62     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

We  use  Ya  on  the  first  tone,  because  when 
sung  freely  it  helps  to  place  the  tone  well  forward. 
Ya  is  pronounced  as  the  German  Ja.  We  use  ha 
on  all  other  tones  of  this  study  for  the  reason  that 
it  is  the  natural  staccato  of  the  voice.  Think  it 
and  sing  it  "in  glossic"  or  phonetically,  thus: 
hA,  very  little  h  but  full,  inflated,  expanded  A. 
A  full  explanation  for  the  use  of  Ya  and  ha  may 
be  found  in  "  Position  and  Action  in  Singing," 
page  117.  All  the  studies  given  in  this  little 
work  for  the  illustration  and  study  of  the  move- 
ments of  our  system  should  be  sung  on  all  keys 
as  high  and  as  low  as  they  can  be  used  without 
effort  and  without  strain. 

It  has  been  said  that  "the  production  of  the 
human  voice  is  the  effect  of  a  muscular  effort  born 
of  a  mental  cause."  Therefore  it  is  important  to 
know  what  to  think  and  how  to  think  it. 

We  say,  put  yourself  and  keep  yourself  con- 
stantly upon  a  level  with  the  tone,  mentally, 
physically  and  emotionally.  For  the  present  we 
have  to  do  with  the  mental  and  physical  only. 

Stand  in  an  easy,  natural  manner,  the  hands 
and  arms  hanging  loosely  by  the  sides.  You 
desire  to  sing  the  above  exercise.  Turn  the  palms 
of  the  hands  up  in  a  free,  flexible  manner,  and  lift 
the  hands  up  and  out  a  little,  not  high,  not  above 


First  Principle  of  Tone-production.       63 

the  waist  line.  When  moving  the  hands  up  and 
out,  move  the  body  from  the  hips  up  and  out  in 
exactly  the  same  manner  and  proportion.  The 
hands  and  arms  must  not  move  faster  than  the 
body;  the  body  must  move  rhythmically  with 
the  arms.  This  rhythmical  movement  of  body 
and  arms  is  highly  important.  In  moving,  the 
sensation  is  as  though  the  body  were  lifted 
lightly  and  freely  upon  the  palms  of  the  hands. 
The  hands  say  to  the  body,  "Follow  us."  In 
this  way,  lift  expand,  and  let  go.  Do  not  raise 
the  shoulders  locally.  The  movement  is  from  the 
hips  up.  The  entire  body  expands  easily  and 
freely  by  letting  go  all  contraction  of  muscle.  Do 
not  first  lift,  and  after  lifting  expand,  and  then 
finally  try  to  let  go,  as  is  the  habit  of  many ;  but 
lift,  and  when  lifting  expand,  and  when  lifting 
and  expanding  let  go  as  directed.  Three  thoughts 
in  one  movement  —  three  movements  in  one  — 
lifting,  expanding,  and  letting  go  simultaneously 
as  one  movement,  which  in  fact  it  must  finally 
become.  This  is  the  only  way  in  which  it  is 
possible  to  secure  all  true  conditions  of  tone. 

With  this  thought  in  mind,  and  having  tried 
the  movement  without  singing,  sing  the  above 
exercise.  Start  from  repose,  as  described,  and  by 
using  the  hands  and  body  in  a  free,  flexible  man- 


64     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

ner,  move  to  what  you  might  think  should  be  the 
level  of  the  first  tone.  Just  when  you  reach  the 
level  of  the  first  tone  let  the  voice  sing.  Move  up 
with  the  arpeggio  to  the  highest  note,  using  hands, 
body,  and  voice  with  free,  flexible  action  ;  then 
move  body  and  hands  with  the  voice  down  to  the 
lowest  note  of  the  arpeggio ;  when  the  last  tone  is 
sung  go  into  a  position  of  repose. 

The  movement  from  repose  to  the  level  of  the 
first  tone  is  highly  important,  for  the  reason  that  it 
arouses  the  energies  of  the  singer,  and  secures  all 
true  conditions  through  automatic  form  and  ad- 
justment. Do  not  hesitate,  do  not  hurry.  All 
movement  must  be  rhythmical  and  spontaneous, 
and  never  the  result  of  effort.  In  singing  the 
arpeggio  the  tones  of  the  voice  must  be  strictly 
staccato;  but  the  movement  of  the  hands  and 
body  must  be  very  smooth,  even,  and  continuous 
—  no  short,  jerky  movements. 

The  movement  of  the  body  is  very  slight,  and  at 
no  time,  in  studying  these  first  exercises,  should 
the  hands  be  raised  above  the  level  of  the  hips  or 
of  the  waist  line.  Of  course  with  beginners  these 
movements  may  be  more  or  less  exaggerated. 
When  singing  songs,  however,  they  do  not  show, 
at  least  not  nearly  as  much  as  wrong  breathing 
and  wrong  effort.  They  simply  give  the  singer 


First  Principle  of  Tone-production.     65 

the  appearance  of  proper  dignity,  position,  and  self- 
assertion.  By  all  means  use  the  hands  in  training 
the  movements  of  the  body.  You  can  train  the 
body  by  the  use  of  the  hands  in  one-fourth  of  the 
time  that  it  is  possible  to  do  it  without  using 
them.  Be  careful,  however,  not  to  raise  the  hands 
too  high,  as  is  the  tendency ;  when  lifted  too  high 
the  energy  is  often  put  into  the  hands  and  arms 
instead  of  the  body  ;  in  this  way  the  body  is  not 
properly  aroused  and  influenced,  and  of  course 
true  conditions  are  not  secured. 

"Practical  rules  must  rest  upon  theory,  and 
theory  upon  nature,  and  nature  is  ascertained  by 
observation  and  experience."  Now,  if  you  will 
practice  this  arpeggio  with  a  free,  flexible  move- 
ment of  hands  and  body,  getting  under  the  tone, 
as  it  were,  and  moving  to  a  level  of  every  tone, 
you  will  soon  find  by  practice  and  experience  that 
these  movements  are  perfectly  natural,  that  they 
arouse  all  the  forces  which  nature  gave  us  for  the 
production  of  tone,  that  they  vitalize  the  singer 
and  give  freedom  to  the  voice.  By  moving 
properly  to  a  level  of  the  first  tone  you  secure  all 
true  conditions  of  tone ;  and  if  you  have  placed 
yourself  properly  upon  a  level  with  the  high  tone, 
when  that  is  reached  you  will  have  maintained 
those  true  conditions  —  you  will  have  freedom, 


66     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

inflation  and  vitality  instead  of  contraction  and 
strain. 

By  moving  with  the  voice  in  this  flexible 
manner  we  bring  every  part  of  the  body  into 
action,  and  apply  strength  as  nature  demands  it, 
without  effort  or  strain.  Remember,  there  is  no 
strength  properly  applied  in  singing  without 
movement.  In  this  way  the  voice  is  an  outward 
manifestation  of  an  inward  feeling  or  emotion. 
"The  voice  is  your  inner  or  higher  self,  expressed 
not  at  or  by  but  through  the  vocal  organs,  aided  by 
the  whole  body  as  a  sound-board." 

Our  next  study  will  be  a  simple  arpeggio  sung 
with  the  la  sound,  thus  : 

\ 

SECOND 
STUDY. 


This  movement,  of  course,  must  be  sung  with 
the  same  action  of  hands  and  body,  starting  from 
repose  to  the  level  of  the  first  tone,  and  keeping 
constantly  upon  a  level  with  the  voice  by  ascend- 
ing and  descending.  Sing  this  exercise  first  semi 
staccato,  afterwards  legato. 

The  special  object  of  this  exercise  is  to  relax 
the  jaw,  the  face,  and  the  throat  muscles.  A  stiff, 


First  Principle  of  Tone-production.     67 

set  jaw  always  means  throat  contraction.  In  this 
exercise,  if  sung  in  every  other  respect  according 
to  directions,  a  stiff  jaw  would  defeat  the  whole 
thing,  and  make  impossible  a  correct  production  of 
every  high  tone. 

In  singing  the  la  sound,  the  tip  of  the  tongue 
touches  the  roof  of  the  mouth,  just  back  of  the 
upper  front  teeth.  Think  the  tone  forward  at  this 
point,  and  let  the  jaw  rise  and  fall  with  the  tongue. 
Devitalize  the  jaw  and  the  muscles  of  the  face, 
move  up  in  a  free,  flexible  manner  to  the  level  of 
every  tone,  and  you  will  be  surprised  at  the  free- 
dom and  ease  with  which  the  high  tones  come. 
The  moving  up  in  the  proper  way  applies  strength, 
and  secures  automatic  form  and  adjustment; 
develops  or  strengthens  the  resisting  or  controll- 
ing muscles  of  the  voice ;  in  fact,  gives  the  voice 
expansion,  inflation,  and  tonicity. 

Remember  that  one  can  act  in  singing ;  and  by 
acting  I  mean  the  movements  as  here  described, 
lifting,  expanding,  etc.,  without  influencing  the 
voice  or  the  tone,  without  applying  the  movements 
to  the  voice ;  of  course  such  action  is  simply  an 
imitation  of  the  real  thing.  Herein,  however,  lies 
the  importance  of  correct  thinking.  The  thought 
must  precede  the  action.  The  singer  must  have 
some  idea  of  what  he  wants  to  sing  and  how  he 


68     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

wants  to  sing  it.  A  simple  chance,  a  simple  hit 
or  miss  idea,  will  not  do.  Make  your  tone  mean 
something.  Arouse  the  singer's  sensation,  and 
you  can  soon  tell  whether  the  movement  is  in- 
fluencing the  tone  or  not.  Of  course  these  move- 
ments are  all  more  easily  applied  on  the  middle 
and  low  tones  than  on  the  higher  tones,  but  these 
are  the  great  successful  movements  for  the  study 
and  development  of  the  high  tones. 

As  we  have  learned  in  our  former  publications, 
there  are  but  three  movements  in  singing,  — 
ascending,  descending,  and  level  movements.  We 
have  so  far  studied  ascending  and  descending 
movements  or  arpeggios.  We  will  now  study 
level  movements  on  a  single  tone,  thus  : 


THIRD 
STUDY 


Ah. 


Place  yourself  in  a  free,  flexible  manner  upon  a 
level  with  the  tone  by  the  use  of  the  movements 
as  before  described ;  lift,  expand,  and  let  go  with- 
out hurrying  or  without  hesitation,  and  just  when 
you  reach  that  which  you  feel  to  be  the  level  of 
the  tone  let  the  voice  sing.  All  must  be  done  in 
a  moment,  rhythmically  and  without  local  effort. 
Sing  spontaneously,  sing  with  abandon,  trust  the 


First  Principle  of  Tone-production.     69 

movements.  They  will  always  serve  you  if  you 
trust  them.  If  you  doubt  them,  they  are  doubt- 
ful ;  for  your  very  doubt  brings  hesitation,  and 
hesitation  brings  contraction.  Sing  from  center 
to  circumference,  with  the  thought  of  expansion 
and  inflation,  and  not  from  outside  to  center.  The 
first  gives  freedom  and  fullness  of  form,  the  latter 
results  in  local  effort  and  contraction.  The  first 
sends  the  voice  out  full  and  free,  the  latter  restrains 
it.  Expansion  through  flexible  movement  is  the 
important  point  to  consider.  When  the  tone  is 
thus  sung,  it  should  result  in  the  removal  of  all  re- 
straint, especially  from  the  face,  jaw,  and  throat. 
In  this  way  the  tone  will  come  freely  to  the  front, 
and  will  flow  or  float  as  long  as  the  level  of  the 
tone  is  maintained  without  effort. 

Remember  the  most  important  point  is  the 
movement  from  repose  to  the  level  of  the  tone. 
If  this  is  done  according  to  directions,  all  restraint 
will  be  removed  and  all  true  conditions  will  pre- 
vail. Never  influence  form.  Let  form  and 
adjustment  be  automatic,  the  result  of  right 
thought,  position,  and  action.  Study  to  constantly 
make  these  movements  of  the  body  easier  and 
more  natural.  Take  off"  all  effort.  Do  not  work 
hard.  It  is  not  hard  work.  It  is  play.  It  is  a 
delight  when  properly  done.  Make  no  conscious, 


yo     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

direct  effort  of  any  part  of  the  body.  Never  ex- 
aggerate the  movement  or  action  of  one  part  of 
the  body  at  the  sacrifice  of  the  true  position  of 
another.  The  tendency  is  to  locally  raise  the 
chest  so  high  that  the  abdomen  is  unnaturally 
drawn  in.  This,  of  course,  is  the  result  of  local 
effort,  and  is  not  the  intention  of  the  movements. 
The  center  of  gravity  must  be  at  the  hips ;  and  all 
movement  above  that  must  be  free,  flexible,  and 
uniform. 1 

Do  not  give  a  thought  to  any  wrong  thing  you 
may  be  in  the  habit  of  doing  in  singing,  but  place 
your  mind  upon  freeing  the  voice,  upon  the  re- 
moval of  all  restraint  through  these  flexible 
vitalized  movements :  think  the  ideal  tone  and 
sing.  When  the  right  begins  to  come  through 
these  movements  the  wrong  must  go.  Over  and 
against  every  wrong  there  is  a  right.  We  remove 
the  wrong  by  developing  the  right.  Sing  in  a  free, 
flexible  manner,  the  natural  power  of  the  voice. 
Make  no  effort  to  suppress  the  tone  or  increase 
its  power.  After  the  movements  are  understood 
and  all  restraint  is  removed,  then  study  the  tone 
on  all  degrees  of  power,  but  remember  when  sing- 
ing soft  and  loud,  and  especially  loud,  that  the 
first  principle  of  artistic  singing  is  the  removal  of 
all  restraint. 

1  In  this  connection,  see  Supplementary  Note,  page  135. 


ARTICLE   TWO. 

THE    SECOND    PRINCIPLE    OF    ARTISTIC    TONE- 
PRODUCTION. 

THE  second  principle  of  artistic  tone-production 
is 

Automatic  Breathing'  and  Automatic  Breath- 
Control. 

Theory.  —  The  singing  breath  should  be  as  un- 
conscious, —  or,  rather,  as  sub-conscious,  —  as  in- 
voluntary, as  the  vital  or  living  breath.  It  should 
be  the  result  of  flexible  action,  and  never  of  local 
muscular  effort.  The  muscular  breath  compels 
muscular  control ;  hence  throat  contraction.  The 
nervous  breath,  nervous  control ;  hence  relaxation 
and  loss  of  breath. 

Devices.  —  Expand  to  breathe.  Do  not  breathe 
to  expand.  Expand  by  flexible,  vitalized  move- 
ments ;  control  by  position  the  level  of  the  tone, 
and  thus  balance  the  two  forces,  "pressure  and 
resistance."  In  this  way  is  secured  automatic  ad- 
justment and  absolute  automatic  breath-control. 

71 


72     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

More  has  probably  been  written  and  said  upon 
this  important  question  of  breathing  in  singing 
than  upon  any  other  question  in  the  broad  field  of 
the  vocal  art ;  and  yet  the  fact  remains  that  it  is 
less  understood  than  any  of  the  really  great  princi- 
ples of  correct  singing.  This  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  most  writers,  teachers,  and  singers  believe 
that  they  must  do  something  —  something  out  of 
the  ordinary  —  to  develop  the  breathing  powers. 
The  result  is,  that  most  systems  of  breathing  are 
artificial ;  therefore  unnatural.  Most  systems  of 
breathing  attempt  to  do  by  direct  effort  that 
which  Nature  alone  can  do  correctly.  Most 
breathing  in  singing  is  the  result  of  direct  con- 
scious effort. 

The  conscious  or  artificial  breath  is  a  muscular 
breath,  and  compels  muscular  control.  The  con- 
scious breath — the  breath  that  is  taken  locally 
and  deliberately  (one  might  almost  say  maliciously) 
before  singing — expands  the  body  unnaturally, 
and  thus  creates  a  desire  to  at  once  expel  it.  In 
order  to  avoid  this,  the  singer  is  compelled  to 
harden  and  tighten  every  muscle  of  the  body ;  and 
not  only  of  the  body,  but  of  the  throat  as  well. 
Under  these  conditions  the  first  principle  of  artis- 
tic tone-production  —  the  removal  of  all  restraint 
—  is  impossible. 


Second  Principle  of  Tone-production.  73 

As  the  breath  is  taken,  so  must  it  be  used. 
Nature  demands  —  aye,  compels  —  this.  If  we 
take  (as  we  are  so  often  told  to  do)  "  a  good  breath, 
and  get  ready,"  it  means  entirely  too  much  breath 
for  comfort,  to  say  nothing  of  artistic  singing.  It 
means  a  hard,  set  diaphragm,  an  undue  tension  of 
the  abdominal  muscles,  and  an  unnatural  position 
and  condition  of  the  chest.  This  of  course  com- 
pels the  hardening  and  contraction  of  the  throat 
muscles.  This  virtually  means  the  unseating  of 
the  voice  ;  for  under  these  conditions  free,  natural 
singing  is  impossible.  The  conscious,  full,  muscu- 
lar breath  compels  conscious,  local  muscular  effort 
to  hold  it  and  control  it.  Result :  a  stiff,  set,  con- 
dition of  the  face  muscles,  the  jaw,  the  tongue  and 
the  larynx.  This  makes  automatic  vowel  form, 
placing,  and  even  freedom  of  expression,  impossi- 
ble. The  conscious,  artificial  breath  is  a  handicap 
in  every  way.  It  compels  the  singer  to  directly 
and  locally  control  the  parts.  In  this  way  it  is  not 
possible  to  easily  and  freely  use  all  the  forces 
which  Nature  has  given  to  man  for  the  production 
of  beautiful  tone. 

Now  note  the  contrast.  The  artistic  breath 
must  be  as  unconscious  or  as  involuntary  as  the 
vital  or  living  breath.  It  must  be  the  result  of 
free,  flexible  action,  and  never  of  conscious  effort. 


74     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

The  artistic,  automatic  breath  is  the  result  of  doing 
the  thing  which  gives  the  breath  and  controls  the 
breath  without  thought  of  breath.  The  automatic 
breath  is  got  through  the  movements  suggested 
when  we  say,  Lift,  expand,  and  let  go. 

When  the  singer  lifts  and  expands  in  a  free, 
flexible  manner  the  body  fills  with  breath.  One 
would  have  to  consciously  resist  this  to  prevent 
the  filling  of  the  lungs.  The  breath  taken  in  this 
way  means  expansion,  inflation,  ease,  freedom. 
There  is  no  desire  to  expel  the  breath  got  in  this 
way ;  it  is  controlled  easily  and  naturally  from 
position  —  the  level  of  the  tone.  When  the  breath 
is  thus  got  through  right  position  and  action,  we 
secure  automatic  form  and  adjustment ;  and  cor- 
rect adjustment  means  approximation  of  the  breath 
bands,  inflation  of  the  cavities  —  in  fact,  all  true 
conditions  of  tone.  Nature  has  placed  within  the 
organ  of  sound  the  principle  of  a  double  valve,  — 
one  of  the  strongest  forces  known  in  mechanics, — 
for  the  control  of  the  breath  during  the  act  of 
singing.  This  is  what  we  mean  by  automatic 
breath-control  —  using  the  forces  which  Nature 
has  given  us  for  that  purpose,  using  them  in  the 
proper  manner. 

If  the  reader  is  familiar  with  my  last  two  works, 
"  Vocal  Reinforcement  "  and  "  Position  and  Action 


Second  Principle  of  Tone-production.  75 

in  Singing,"  he  will  have  learned  through  them  that 
we  have  not  direct,  correct  control  of  the  form 
and  adjustment  of  the  parts  which  secure  the  true 
conditions  of  tone  and  automatic  breath-control. 
These  conditions,  as  we  have  learned,  are  secured 
through  the  flexible  movements  which  are  the 
ground-work  of  our  system.  Therefore  we  say, 
Trust  the  movements.  If  you  have  confidence  in 
them,  they  will  always  serve  you.  If  you  doubt 
them,  they  are  doubtful ;  for  the  least  doubt  on  the 
part  of  the  singer  means  more  or  less  contraction 
and  restraint ;  hence  they  fail  to  produce  the  true 
conditions. 

This  automatic  breathing,  the  result  of  the 
movements  described,  does  not  show  effort  or  ac- 
tion half  so  much  as  the  old-fashioned,  conscious 
muscular  breath.  Breathing  in  this  way  means 
the  use  of  all  the  forces  which  Nature  has  given  us. 
Breathing  in  this  way  is  Nature's  demand,  and  the 
reward  is  Nature's  help. 

The  devices  we  use  to  develop  automatic  breath- 
ing and  automatic  breath-control  are  the  simplest 
possible  exercises,  studied  and  developed  through 
the  movements,  as  before  described.  In  this  way 
through  right  action  we  expand  to  breathe,  or 
rather  we  breathe  through  flexible  expansion,  and 
we  control  by  position,  by  the  true  level  of  the 


76     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

tone.  In  this  way,  as  we  have  found,  all  true  con- 
ditions are  secured  and  maintained. 

We  will  take  for  our  first  study  a  single  tone 
about  the  middle  of  the  voice.  Exercise  three  in 
Article  One  of  this  second  part  of  the  book  will 
suggest  the  idea. 

Sing  a  tone  about  the  middle  of  the  voice  with 
the  syllable  ah.  Lift,  expand,  and  let  go,  by  the 
use  of  the  hands  and  the  body,  as  before  sug- 
gested. The  lifting  and  expanding  in  a  free, 
flexible  manner  will  give  you  all  the  breath  that 
is  needed  ;  and  the  position,  the  level  of  the  tone, 
will  hold  or  control  the  breath  if  you  have  confi- 
dence. Remember  that  automatic  breathing  de- 
pends upon  first  action,  the  movement  from  repose 
to  the  level  of  the  tone.  If  the  action  is  as 
described,  sufficient  breath  will  be  the  result.  If 
the  position,  the  level  of  the  tone,  is  maintained 
without  contraction,  absolute  automatic  breath-con- 
trol will  be  the  result  so  sure  as  the  sun  shines. 

The  tendency  with  beginners  and  with  those 
who  have  formed  wrong  habits  of  breathing,  is  to 
take  a  voluntary  breath  before  coming  into  action. 
This  of  course  defeats  the  whole  thing.  Again, 
the  tendency  of  beginners  or  of  those  who  have 
formed  wrong  habits,  is  to  sing  before  finding  the 
level  of  the  tone  through  the  movements,  or  to 


Second  Principle  of  Tone-production.    77 

start  the  tone  before  the  action.  This  of  course 
compels  local  effort  and  contraction,  and  makes 
success  impossible.  The  singer  must  have  breath  ; 
and  if  he  does  not  get  it  automatically  through  the 
flexible  movements  herein  described,  or  some  such 
movements,  he  is  compelled  to  take  it  consciously 
and  locally.  The  conscious  local  breath  in  sing- 
ing is  always  an  artificial  breath,  and  compels  local 
control.  Under  these  conditions  ease  and  perfect 
freedom  are  impossible. 

As  we  have  said,  the  important  thing  to  con- 
sider in  this  study  is  the  movement  from  repose 
to  the  level  of  the  first  tone.  Move  in  a  free, 
flexible  manner  as  before  described,  and  give  no 
thought  to  breath-taking.  When  you  have  found 
the  level  of  the  tone,  all  of  which  is  done  rhythmi- 
cally and  in  a  moment,  let  the  voice  sing, —  sing 
spontaneously.  Make  no  effort  to  hold  or  control 
the  breath.  Maintain  correct  position  the  level  of 
the  tone,  in  a  free,  flexible  manner,  and  sing  with 
perfect  freedom,  with  abandon.  As  the  move- 
ment or  action  gave  you  the  breath,  so  will  the 
position  hold  it.  The  more  you  let  go  all  con- 
traction of  body  and  throat  muscles,  the  more  free- 
dom you  give  the  voice,  the  more  will  the  breath 
be  controlled,  —  controlled  through  automatic 
form  and  adjustment.  This  is  a  wonderful  revela- 


78     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

tion  to  many  who  have  tried  it  and  mastered  it. 
Those  who  have  constantly  thought  in  the  old 
way,  and  attempted  to  breathe  and  control  in  the 
old  way,  cannot  of  course  understand  it.  The 
tendency  of  such  is  to  condemn  it,  —  to  condemn 
it,  we  are  sorry  to  say,  without  investigation. 

Knowledge  is  gained  through  experience.  The 
singer  or  pupil  who  tries  this  system  of  breathing 
and  succeeds,  needs  no  argument  to  convince  him 
that  it  is  true,  natural  and  correct.  The  greatest 
drawback  to  the  mastering  of  it  on  the  part  of 
many  singers  and  teachers,  is  the  artificial  habits 
acquired  by  years  of  wrong  thinking  and  wrong 
effort.  With  the  beginner  it  is  the  simplest,  the 
easiest,  and  the  most  quickly  acquired  of  all 
systems  of  breathing ;  for  automatic  breathing  is 
a  fundamental,  natural  law  of  artistic  singing. 

For  further  illustration  of  this  principle  of 
breathing  we  will  use  the  following  exercise  : 


FOURTH 
STUDY. 


Place  yourself  in  a  free,  flexible  manner  on  a 
level  with  the  first  tone.  If  this  is  done  properly, 
you  will  have  secured  automatically  a  singing 
breath  and  all  true  conditions  of  tone.  When 


Second  Principle  of  Tone-production.    79 

singing  this  exercise  move  the  hands  and  body 
with  the  tone  or  voice,  ascending  and  descending. 
In  ascending  open  freely  and  naturally  by  letting 
go.  Do  not  influence  the  form  by  attempting 
locally  to  open.  Do  not  influence  the  form  by 
locally  preventing  freedom  or  expansion.  Let  go 
all  parts  of  the  face,  mouth  and  throat,  and  you 
will  be  surprised  at  the  power  of  the  tone,  of  the 
breath,  and  of  the  breath-control  on  the  upper 
tone.  You  will  be  surprised  to  find  that  you  will 
have  secured  or  developed  three  or  four  times  as 
much  sustaining  breath  power  as  you  imagined 
you  had.  In  descending,  care  must  be  taken  not 
to  droop  or  depress,  but  to  carry  the  voice  by  con- 
trolling the  movements  of  the  body,  and  only  after 
the  last  tone  is  finished  should  the  body  go  into  a 
position  of  repose. 

Sing  this  exercise  in  all  degrees  of  power,  soft, 
medium  and  loud,  maintaining  the  same  true  con- 
ditions on  all.  The  tendency  of  most  singers  is  to 
relax  and  depress  on  soft  tone,  or  to  pinch  and 
contract.  Soft  tone  should  never  be  small  in  form, 
and  it  should  always  have  the  same  vitality  and 
energy  as  the  louder  tone. 


FIFTH 
STUDY. 


Ah 


8o     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

This  exercise  should  be  studied  and  practiced  in 
every  way  suggested  for  the  study  of  the  preceding 
exercises.  Place  yourself  upon  a  level  with  the 
first  tone,  in  the  manner  before  described,  and 
thus  secure  the  automatic  breath.  Do  not  forget 
to  use  the  hands  to  suggest  the  movement  to  the 
body.  The  hands  should  be  used  until  the  body 
is  thoroughly  trained  to  flexible  action.  It  is 
always  a  question  of  "the  thought  before  the 
action."  Do  not  allow  a  conscious  or  local  breath 
before  the  movement. 

Place  yourself  upon  a  level  with  the  first  tone, 
and  allow  or  let  the  voice  start  spontaneously  and 
freely.  Make  no  effort  to  hold  the  breath.  Hold 
from  position.  Sing  down,  moving  with  the  voice, 
but  do  not  let  the  body  or  the  tone  droop  or  relax. 
Neither  must  there  be  stiffness  or  contraction.  If 
you  find  it  impossible  to  control  the  voice  in  this 
way,  or  to  prevent  depression  of  body  and  of  tone, 
then  try  the  following  way. 

Place  yourself  upon  a  level  with  the  first  tone  in 
the  proper  manner,  sing  down,  but  lift  and  expand 
with  an  ascending  movement  of  the  hands  and 
body.  Open  the  mouth  freely  and  naturally,  and 
let  the  tone  roll  out.  You  will  be  surprised  to  find 
not  only  great  breath  power  and  control,  but  a 
power  in  the  tone  that  most  singers  imagine  can 


Second  Principle  of  Tone-production.    81 

be  got  through  physical  force  alone.  This  power 
is  the  result  of  expansion  and  inflation,  the  true 
reinforcing  power.  The  increased  vitalized  energy 
of  the  tone  is  the  result  of  the  upward  and  outward 
movement.  This  movement  of  expansion  and  in- 
flation through  flexible  action,  is  the  true  applica- 
tion of  strength  or  of  power.  It  is  that  which  we 
call  the  reverse  movement.  We  sing  down  and 
move  up.  It  is  the  great  movement  for  developing 
the  low  tones  of  all  voices.  This  reverse  move- 
ment may  be  applied  at  will  to  all  the  studies 
given ;  it  will  depend  upon  the  effect  we  may 
desire  to  produce.  If  in  descending,  a  quiet  effect 
is  desired,  the  movement  is  with  the  voice.  If  we 
want  power  we  reverse  the  action.  The  body, 
when  properly  trained,  becomes  the  servant  of  the 
will,  and  responds  instantly  to  thought  and  desire. 
Hence  the  importance  of  correct  thought. 

In  presenting  these  ideas  to  my  readers,  I  realize 
how  difficult  it  is  to  put  them  in  words,  and  how 
much  they  lose  when  they  appear  in  cold  print.  In 
working  with  a  living,  vitalized  voice,  the  effect  is 
so  different.  The  reader  who  may  desire  to  ex- 
periment with  these  ideas  should  place  himself 
before  a  mirror,  and  make  his  image  his  pupil,  his 
subject.  In  this  way  he  can  better  study  the 
movements,  the  action,  the  position,  the  level  of 
the  tone,  and  the  breathing. 


82     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

In  private  teaching,  of  course,  we  do  not  take 
up  one  subject  or  principle  and  finish  that,  and  then 
take  up  the  next  one ;  but  one  idea  is  constantly 
built  upon  another  to  form  the  harmonious  whole. 
The  formula  which  we  use  here,  as  we  have  said, 
is  the  one  adopted  for  the  normal  class  at  the  Point 
Chautauqua  summer  school.  This  we  do  in  order 
to  have  the  system  properly  arranged  for  lecture, 
illustrations,  and  for  a  practical  study  of  the  de- 
vices, not  only  from  the  singer's,  but  from  the 
teacher's  standpoint  as  well. 

The  gteacher  or  singer  who  studies  and  masters 
this  course  never  questions  or  doubts  the  truth 
and  power  of  automatic  breathing  and  automatic 
breath-control ;  or  the  wonderful  influence  on  the 
voice  of  these  movements,  which  we  call  true  posi- 
tion and  action  in  singing.1 

1  The  few  exercises  or  studies  here  given,  as  well  as  a  number 
of  others,  may  be  found  fully  carried  out  with  accompaniment,  in 
"  Exercises  for  the  Training  and  Development  of  the  Voice,"  by 
the  author  of  this  work.  Published  by  William  A.  Pond  and 
Company. 


ARTICLE   THREE. 

THE    THIRD    PRINCIPLE    OF    ARTISTIC   TONE- 
PRODUCTION. 

THE  third  principle  of  artistic  tone-production  is 
High  Placing  and  Low  Resonance. 

Theory.  —  Tone,  to  be  artistic,  must  be  placed 
forward  and  high,  and  must  be  reinforced  by  the 
low  cavities  and  chest  resonance ;  it  must  be  placed 
high,  and  reinforced  or  built  down  by  added  reso- 
nance through  expansion  and  inflation. 

Devices.  —  Place  high  by  removing  all  restraint, 
all  obstruction,  through  flexible  movements.  The 
high,  forward  placing  is  the  natural  focus  of  the 
voice.  When  the  voice  is  thus  placed  and  auto- 
matic control  prevails,  reaction  and  reflection 
occur,  and  the  sympathetic  low  resonance  of  the 
inflated  cavities  is  added  to  the  tone.  Also  study 
the  naturally  high  placing  of  E  and  the  naturally 
low  color  of  oo ;  then  equalize  all  the  vowels 
through  their  influence,  and  thus  develop  uniform 
color  and  quality  in  all. 

83 


84     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

This  third  principle  of  artistic  singing  is  a  very 
important  one,  and  means  much  more  than  one 
might,  at  first  thought,  suppose.  Many  singers 
think  of  placing  simply  as  the  point  of  contact  or 
impact  of  the  air  current.  Placing,  however, 
means  more  than  this.  It  means  not  only  the 
correct  focus  of  tone  forward  and  high,  but  it  also 
means  reaction  and  reflection  of  the  air  current ; 
in  short,  sympathetic  added  vibration  of  air  in  the 
low  inflated  cavities.  This  being  true,  we  find 
that  correct  placing  means  even  much  more.  It 
means  the  true  form  and  adjustment  of  all  the 
parts  —  all  true  conditions  of  tone. 

The  prevailing  idea  of  placing  is  the  thought  of 
constantly  pushing  up  the  tone.  Result,  the  organ 
of  sound  is  pushed  out  of  place  and  all  true  condi- 
tions disturbed.  The  pushed-up  tone  means  local, 
muscular  effort,  contraction,  and  a  hard,  unmusical 
voice.  The  voice  thus  placed  may  be  loud  and 
brilliant,  but  never  soulful  or  beautiful.  The 
pushed-up  tone  means  singing  from  the  larynx  up. 
It  means  head-resonance  only ;  and  head-resonance 
is  but  one  side,  and  that  the  smallest  side,  of  this 
great  question. 

Tone  must  be  placed  spontaneously,  with  reaction 
and  reflection.  This  shows  at  once  the  importance 
of  the  first  two  great  principles  of  voice-produc- 


Third  Principle  of  Tone-production.    85 

tion,  —  freedom  and  automatic  breath-control ; 
for  without  these  true  placing  is  impossible.  Tone 
placed  in  this  way  means  the  ring  of  the  forward 
high  placing  and  the  added  resonance  of  the  in- 
flated cavities  and  especially  of  the  chest. 

In  singing,  as  we  have  learned,  there  are  two 
forces  constantly  in  action,  —  pressure  and  resist- 
ance, or  motor  power  and  control.  These  two 
forces  must  prevail,  and  in  order  to  produce  the 
voice  artistically,  they  must  be  balanced.  This  is 
done,  indirectly,  through  the  movements  we  advo- 
cate, through  the  position  and  action  of  the  body. 
The  motor  power  lies  in  the  diaphragm  and  in  the 
abdominal  and  intercostal  muscles.  The  controll- 
ing force  lies  in  the  chest,  in  a  properly  adjusted 
larynx  and  the  approximated  breath-bands.  These 
two  forces  must  be  balanced  during  the  act  of 
singing.  Most  singers  are  much  stronger  in  the 
driving  or  motor  power  than  in  reaction  or  the 
controlling  force  ;  and  with  many,  the  weakness  in 
control,  reaction  or  adjustment,  is  an  absolute  bar 
to  success.  Hence  the  importance  of  strengthen- 
ing the  chest,  and  the  position  of  the  organ  of 
sound,  through  physical  culture. 

When  these  two  forces,  motor  power  and  control, 
are  not  equal,  the  balance  of  force  is  placed  upon 
the  throat  and  throat  muscles.  This  the  singer  can 


86     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

no  more  avoid  doing  than  he  can  avoid  balancing 
himself  to  keep  from  falling.  When,  in  order  to 
place,  the  voice  is  pushed  up,  deliberately  and  ma- 
liciously pushed,  both  forces  are  exerted  in  the 
same  direction.  They  are  then  virtually  but  one 
force  —  a  driving  force.  As  there  must  be  two 
forces  in  singing,  as  Nature  compels  this,  there  is 
nothing  left  for  the  singer  to  do  but  to  use  the 
throat  and  throat  muscles  as  a  controlling  force. 
Under  these  conditions,  as  before  stated,  the  tone 
may  be  brilliant,  but  it  will  always  be  unsympa- 
thetic and  unmusical. 

I  hope  no  one  will  think  for  a  moment,  in  consider- 
ing the  movements  we  advocate,  that  we  do  not 
believe  in  strength  and  power.  We  do  believe  in 
applied  power,  applied  indirectly ;  not  by  local  grip 
and  contraction,  but  indirectly  through  vitalized 
energy,  expansion,  and  flexibility,  through  the  true 
position  and  action  of  the  singer.  There  is  no 
strength  properly  applied  in  singing  except  through 
movement ;  through  correct  movement  all  the 
forces  which  nature  has  given  the  singer  are  indi- 
rectly brought  into  action  ;  in  this  way  there  is 
constant  physical  and  vocal  development. 

Every  tone  sung,  as  we  have  learned,  is  a  rein- 
forced sound.  There  are  two  ways  of  reinforcing 
tone.  First,  by  muscular  tension,  muscular  con- 


Third  Principle  of  Tone-production.    87 

traction,  muscular  effort  —  the  wrong  way.  Sec- 
ond, by  vitalized  energy,  by  expansion,  and  by 
added  resonance  of  air  in  the  inflated  cavities  —  the 
right  way.  Of  course  to  produce  expansion  and 
inflation,  true  conditions  of  form  and  adjustment 
must  prevail,  through  the  movements  given. 

Form  has  much  to  do  with  determining  the 
quality  and  character  of  the  tone.  Muscular 
effort,  either  in  placing  or  reinforcing  the  tone,  re- 
sults in  muscular  contraction,  and  in  most  cases  in 
elliptical  form  of  voice,  thus :  CZ)  This  means 
depressed  soft  palate,  high  larynx,  contraction  of 
the  fauces,  closed  throat,  and  spread  open  mouth. 
Result  —  high  placing  impossible,  no  low  color  or 
reinforcement ;  in  short,  hard  muscular  tone.  The 
tone  may  be  loud  but  it  cannot  be  musical. 

The  true  musical  form  of  the  voice  is  elonga- 
tion, thus :  Q  This  means  high  placing  and  low 
resonance;  it  means  that  the  tone  has  the  ring  of 
forward  high  placing  and  the  reinforcement,  color, 
and  beauty  of  added  low  resonance.  Elongation  is 
a  distinguishing  feature  of  all  truly  great  voices. 

For  artistic  tone,  the  soft  palate  must  be  high, 
the  larynx  must  be  low,  and  the  throat  and  mouth 
allowed  to  form,  not  made  or  compelled.  The 
form  must  be  flexible  and  elastic.  The  larynx 
must  be  low  in  adjustment  for  the  production  of 


88     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

beautiful  tone,  but  it  must  never  be  locally  ad- 
justed. It  must  always  be  influenced  indirectly 
through  the  movements  we  advocate,  through  the 
true  position  and  action  of  singing.  In  this  way 
are  secured  open  throat,  freedom  of  voice,  all  true 
conditions.  In  this  way  the  tone  may  be  placed 
by  impulse,  by  flexible  action,  may  be  started  high 
and  instantly  reflected  into  the  inflated  cavities. 
This  means  perfect  poise  of  voice  ;  it  means  the 
focus  of  the  tone  high  and  forward  with  the  sym- 
pathetic added  vibration  of  the  low  cavities  and 
especially  of  the  chest.  This  is  the  only  true 
placing  of  voice,  —  the  combination  of  head  and 
chest  resonance  through  automatic  form  and  ad- 
justment. A  tight  throat  through  local,  muscular 
effort  makes  these  conditions  impossible. 

The  true  resonance-chamber  then,  as  we  have 
found,  is  from  head  to  chest ;  sympathetically  the 
resonance  of  the  entire  body  must  be  added.  The 
true  artist  sings  with  the  body,  through  the  throat, 
and  never  with  the  throat.  In  this  way  the  entire 
singer  is  the  instrument.  Fill  the  body  with 
sound.  The  higher  the  tone  the  more  elongated 
the  form.  Nature  demands  this.  If  this  does  not 
occur  contraction  and  depression  are  sure  to  follow. 
Also  the  higher  the  tone  the  lower  the  added 
resonance,  when  the  conditions  are  right.  In  this 


Third  Principle  of  Tone-production.    89 

way  the  form  elongates  and  the  compass  expands 
without  effort  or  strain.  These  ideas  studied 
through  flexible  movements  are  truly  wonderful, 
but  natural  means  for  expanding  the  compass  of 
the  voice. 

Much  has  been  written  lately  on  the  subject  of 
open  tones.  Should  the  tones  be  opened  or 
closed,  is  the  question.  Tone  should  never  be 
closed.  It  should  always  be  open,  but  never  out. 
If  it  is  out  of  the  mouth  it  is  not  a  singing  sound. 
Even  the  real  covered  tones  of  the  voice  should 
never  be  closed.  The  truth  is,  the  form  of  the 
covered  tones  of  the  voice,  through  elongation,  is 
larger  than  the  form  of  those  which  we  call  the 
open  tones,  in  contradistinction  to  the  covered. 

In  the  clear  timbre  of  the  voice,  the  bright  tone, 
the  ring  of  high  placing,  predominates.  In  somber 
timbre,  the  dark  tone,  low  resonance,  or  low  color, 
predominates.  In  medium  tone  both  are  heard  or 
felt  more  equally.  None  of  this  coloring  or  rein- 
forcing must  be  done  by  locally  influencing  form 
or  placing.  The  voice  must  be  perfectly  free  ;  and 
the  result  must  be  due  to  sentiment,  feeling,  emo- 
tion, to  the  effect  it  may  be  desired  to  produce. 
If  all  restraint  is  removed,  if  true  conditions  pre- 
vail, this  can  always  be  done  through  the  singer's 
sensation,  through  the  use  of  the  third  power.  It 


90     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

is  marvelous  how,  under  right  conditions,  the 
voice  will  respond  to  thought,  to  sentiment,  to 
feeling. 

"The  tone  thus  produced  and  thus  delivered, 
with  perfect  breath-control,  will  set  the  whole  body 
sympathizing,  from  the  sole  of  the  foot  to  the 
crown  of  the  head.  And  it  is  only  tones  like 
these  —  that  it  is  possible  to  so  adorn,  and  deco- 
rate, and  beautify,  with  the  due  amount  of  emphasis, 
and  accurate  intensity  of  emotional  feelings,  and 
exquisitely  shaded  and  ever-varying  tinges  of 
color  in  expression  —  that  can  prove  capable  of 
captivating  the  heart  of  the  hearer,  that  can 
graphically  impress  the  listener  with  such  senti- 
ments as  the  vocalist  desires  to  convey." 

We  will  take  for  our  first  study  a  single  tone 
about  the  middle  of  the  voice.  In  studying  pla- 
cing and  resonance,  we  must  of  course  observe  all 
the  rules  laid  down  in  regard  to  the  action,  posi- 
tion, etc.  Do  not  take  a  voluntary  breath  before 
acting  —  do  not  start  the  tone  before  the  action, 
two  things  which  require  constant  watching  on  the 
part  of  the  beginner.  Either  of  them  will  virtually 
cause  defeat. 

Remove  all  obstruction  by  seeking  the  level  of 
the  tone  through  flexible  action.  Think  the  tone 
forward  and  high.  Place  by  impulse,  and  never 


Third  Principle  of  Tone-production.    91 

by  local  effort.  Have  the  sensation  as  though  the 
tone  started  forward  and  high,  as  though  it  im- 
pinged against  the  roof  of  the  mouth,  and  instantly 
reflected  into  the  low  cavities,  and  especially  into 
the  chest.  In  doing  this,  relax  the  jaw,  let  go  all 
face  and  throat  contraction,  expand  the  body,  and 
think  and  feel  the  chest  vibrant  and  filled  with 
tone.  In  this  way  the  tone  may  be  started  high 
and  reinforced  or  built  down  by  the  added  reso- 
nance of  all  the  inflated  cavities. 

Another  way  to  do  this,  is  to  start  the  tone 
spontaneously  by  impulse  through  correct  action ; 
in  doing  so,  think  and  feel  as  though  the  tone 
placed  and  reflected  at  the  same  instant,  forward 
against  the  roof  of  the  mouth  and  on  the  chest,  — 
as  though  the  contact  or  impingement  of  the  tone 
were  felt  at  both  places  simultaneously.  Of  course 
the  high  forward  placing  in  mouth  and  face  is  the 
true  placing,  and  the  sensation  on  the  chest  is  the 
action  or  reflection  of  the  true  placing.  This  can 
be  done  through  flexible  vitalized  action  alone. 
With  a  tight  throat  or  local  muscular  effort  it  is 
impossible.  This  is  perfect  attack,  and  in  this 
way  all  force  and  push  are  avoided.  In  this  way 
freedom  and  inflation  are  secured,  that  condition 
which  unites  head  and  chest  resonance. 

Think  of  a  rubber  pouch  filled  with  air.    Imagine 


9 2     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

you  grasp  it  in  the  middle  with  the  hand,  and  close 
the  hand  tight.  The  upper  part  of  this  pouch  rep- 
resents the  face  and  high  forward  placing.  That 
below  the  hand,  or  the  lower  part,  the  chest  reso- 
nance. The  hand  holding  the  middle  of  the  pouch 
represents  the  throat.  So  long  as  the  hand  con- 
tracts tightly  the  middle  of  the  pouch,  there  is  no 
connection  between  the  air  in  the  upper  and  lower 
parts  of  the  pouch.  If  the  desire  is  to  connect 
these  two  parts,  relax  the  hand  a  little,  and  allow 
an  opening  or  a  free  passage  between  them.  In 
singing,  the  same  relaxation  or  opening  must  occur 
at  the  throat,  if  the  desire  is  to  connect  the  ring  of 
high  placing  with  the  resonance  of  the  low  cavities. 
If  the  desire  is  to  reinforce,  to  build  down,  the 
extrinsic  muscles  of  the  throat  must  relax,  and  the 
throat  must  expand. 

In  thus  placing  and  reinforcing  tone,  the  pupil  is 
guided  or  assisted  not  only  by  the  sense  of  hear- 
ing but  by  the  sense  of  feeling.  There  will  be  the 
sensation  of  freedom,  of  ease,  of  power ;  a  feeling 
as  though  the  entire  body  from  the  head  down  to 
the  waist  were  open  and  filled  with  tone.  Remem- 
ber, however,  this  important  fact,  that  it  is  possible 
to  lift  and  expand,  and  even  to  let  go,  and  yet  not 
to  influence  the  tone.  We  can  act  well  and  yet 
sing  with  a  common  tone.  The  pupil  must  think 


Third  Principle  of  Tone-production.    93 

and  feel  the  tone,  must  think  and  feel  the  effect 
desired.     The  thought  must  precede  the  action. 

This  point  is  worthy  of  all  consideration,  — 
right  thought  or  right  feeling  assists  the  tone  in 
every  way,  has,  in  fact,  a  wonderful  influence  in 
developing  right  action.  The  idealized  tone  brings 
into  action  more  of  the  true  powers  of  the  singer 
than  it  is  possible  to  do  in  any  other  way. 


SIXTH 
STUDY. 


This  study  lends  itself  easily  and  naturally,  not 
only  to  the  development  of  high  placing,  but  to 
correct  bodily  action. 

Sing  the  first  tone  staccato,  placing  the  body 
upon  a  level  with  the  tone  as  described.  Then 
from  the  level  of  this  first  tone,  through  flexible 
vitalized  action,  carry  the  body  spontaneously 
or  by  impulse  to  the  level  of  the  upper  tone ;  the 
air  current  or  the  tone  should  strike  the  roof  of 
the  mouth  well  forward  and  instantly  reflect  into 
the  low  cavities.  In  this  way  all  true  conditions 
are  secured,  and  the  voice  is  allowed  to  sing  in- 
stead of  being  made  or  compelled.  There  must 
be  a  very  free  lift,  expansion,  and  let  go  between 
the  first  and  the  upper  tone.  Do  not  let  the 


94     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

second  tone  start  until  its  level  is  reached,  or  the 
effect  will  be  spoiled,  or  at  least  modified.  All 
this  must  be  done  rhythmically,  which  means  with- 
out the  least  hesitation,  or  without  the  sensation 
of  haste.  To  hesitate  compels  local  effort.  To 
hurry  disturbs  all  true  conditions.  This  is  a  very 
valuable  exercise,  if  understood. 

SEVENTH 
STUDY. 

— ^— 

Ah.. 

This  study  is  virtually  the  same  as  the  sixth, 
except  that  the  voice  is  not  suspended  or  arrested 
between  the  first  and  second  tones.  This  exercise 
must  be  studied  with  the  same  action  and  the  same 
impulse  as  the  sixth  study.  Some  singers  can  get 
placing  and  reaction  better  on  this  study  than  on 
the  sixth. 


EIGHTH 
STUDY. 


Ah 

Find  the  level  of  the  first  tone  as  suggested, 
using  hands  and  body ;  move  down,  hands  and 
body  going  with  the  tone,  while  singing  the  first 
three  notes  of  this  exercise ;  then,  without  stopping 
or  hesitating,  reverse  the  action  or  the  movement, 
by  lifting  hands  and  body,  and  opening  wide  by 


Third  Principle  of  Tone-production.    95 

dropping  the  lower  jaw,  while  singing  the  last 
three  notes.  Of  course  the  voice  must  sing  from 
the  highest  to  the  lowest  note  with  a  continuous 
legato  flow.  The  movement  of  the  body  down  with 
the  first  three  notes  and  the  reverse  action,  moving 
up  and  out  on  the  last  three,  must  be  smooth  and 
continuous.  If  this  is  done  properly  the  reverse 
action  will  give  a  wonderful  sensation  of  freedom, 
openness,  and  the  power  of  low  added  resonance. 
It  demonstrates  forcibly  what  is  meant  by  placing 
up  and  building  down. 

This  is  the  great  idea  or  the  great  movement  for 
developing  the  low  tones  in  all  voices.  When  the 
low  tones  are  thus  developed  by  expansion,  but 
without  effort,  the  same  idea  of  freedom  and  low 
resonance  can  be  carried  into  the  high  tones.  This 
can  be  done  especially  well  and  easily  on  exercises 
six  and  seven.  The  higher  the  tone  the  lower 
the  resonance  should  be  if  the  object  be  a  full 
beautiful,  free  tone. 


Place  yourself  upon  a  level  with  the  first  tone 
as  suggested,  and  allow  the  tone  to  start  spon- 
taneously, striking,  as  it  were,  the  roof  of  the 


96     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

mouth  and  the  chest  simultaneously.  Move  body 
and  hands  down  with  the  voice  to  the  low  tone, 
and  then  instantly  but  rhythmically,  lift  back  to 
the  level  of  the  upper  tone.  Feel  as  though  you 
were  under  the  tone  with  body  and  hands  in 
moving  up,  and  let  the  tone  strike  by  impulse,  the 
roof  of  the  mouth,  and  instantly  reflect  into  the 
chest.  Practice  this  exercise  until  it  can  be  done 
with  perfect  freedom  of  form  and  action. 

In  starting  the  first  tone  in  all  these  exercises, 
feel  the  vibration  in  the  face,  on  the  forehead,  and 
on  the  cheek-bones.  If  this  is  done  without  push- 
ing, but  by  flexible  action,  a  sympathetic  vibration 
can  be  felt  through  the  entire  body. 

A  very  effective  and  successful  study  of  high 
placing  and  low  resonance  may  be  got  through  a 
consideration  of  the  natural  placing  and  resonance 
of  the  vowel  sounds.  As  I  have  written  so  fully 
on  the  vowel  sounds  in  my  former  works,  I  shall 
simply  touch  upon  that  important  question  here. 

E  as  in  reed  is  naturally  the  highest  placed 
vowel  in  the  English  language.  U  or  oo  as  in 
you  or  do  is  naturally  the  lowest  in  color.  Sing  E 
with  the  freedom  of  action  as  suggested,  and  think 
it  high  in  the  face.  Make  no  effort  to  influence 
the  form.  The  form  of  E  is  naturally  very  small 
E  will  be  found  in  this  way  to  be  free  and  bright, 


Third  Principle  of  Tone-production.    97 

not  hard  and  wiry.  Sing  oo  in  the  same  way. 
The  form  of  oo  is  also  very  small.  Oo  should 
have  a  flute-like  sound.  It  will  be  found  that  in  E 
high  resonance  predominates.  In  oo  low  color. 
In  studying  the  vowels  the  aim  should  be  to 
equalize  them  by  placing,  reinforcing,  and  coloring 
them  as  nearly  alike  as  possible.  In  this  way  they 
are  equalized  instead  of  differentiated. 

Place  E  as  suggested,  and  color  it  by  the  thought 
and  influence  of  the  low  resonance  of  oo.  Sing  oo 
as  suggested,  and  brighten  it  by  the  thought, 
influence,  and  high  placing  of  E.  In  this  way 
study  all  other  vowels,  influencing  them  by  the 
high  placing  of  E  and  the  low  resonance  of  oo. 
The  high  ring  and  brightness  of  the  reed  sounds 
of  the  voice,  must  be  modified  and  influenced  by 
the  color  and  low  resonance  of  the  flute  sounds. 
The  flute  sounds  of  the  voice  must  be  made  more 
brilliant  and  free  by  the  influence  of  the  high 
placing  and  high  resonance  of  the  reed  sounds. 
In  this  way  we  equalize  all  the  vowels  until,  in  a 
certain  sense,  they  all  have  the  same  color  and 
quality  and  sound,  as  though  they  belonged  to  one 
and  the  same  voice.  For  a  further  study  of  high 
placing,  use  the  second  sound  of  O,  or,  as  some 
writers  classify  the  vowels,  the  second  sound  of  U, 
—  the  sound  of  uh  as  heard  in  up.  This  is  the 


9  8     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

highest,  narrowest,  and  most  elongated  arch  form 
in  the  English  language  ;  consequently  it  is,  for 
many  voices,  the  most  favorable  sound  for  the 
study  of  high  placing. 

All  vowel  sounds,  like  all  tones  of  the  voice,  are 
reinforced  sounds.  The  tendency  of  most  singers 
is  to  sing  the  reed  sounds  too  white  and  the  flute 
sounds  too  dark.  By  properly  distributing  bril- 
liancy and  color  we  influence  and  modify  all  the 
vowels  without  losing  their  character  or  individu- 
ality. 


part  Ebfrfc* 

AESTHETICS. 


ARTICLE   ONE. 

THE    FOURTH    PRINCIPLE   OF    ARTISTIC    SINGING. 

THE  fourth  principle  of  artistic  singing  is 
Emotional  or  Self-Expression* 

Theory.  —  Vitalized  emotional  energy,  the  "  Sing- 
er's Sensation,"  is  the  true  motor  power  of  the  voice. 

Devices.  —  A  study  of  tone-color  and  tone-char- 
acter ;  the  idealized  tone,  applied  and  developed  by 
the  use  of  words  and  sentiment. 

The  student  of  the  voice  who  has  studied,  under- 
stood, and,  to  a  certain  extent,  mastered  the  first 
three  great  principles  of  voice  production  —  the  re- 
moval of  all  restraint,  automatic  breathing,  high 
placing,  and  low  resonance  —  has  certainly  accom- 
plished much.  He  has  aroused  and  developed  the 
physical  and  mental  vitality  of  the  singer,  the 
vitality  and  energy  of  body  and  mind.  This  is 
the  limit  of  progress  or  development  with  many, 
at  least  so  far  as  actual  tone  study  is  con- 
cerned. 

There  comes  a  time,  however,  in  the  experience 

101 


IO2     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

of  every  student  of  the  voice,  a  stage  of  the  study, 
when,  if  he  expects  to  be  an  artist,  he  must  take 
a  step  in  advance,  a  step  higher ;  he  must  place 
himself  upon  a  higher  plane  or  level;  he  must 
arouse  his  true  inner  nature,  the  singer's  sensa- 
tion, that  which  we  have  called  the  third  power. 
This  is  done  by  a  study  of  emotional,  or  self- 
expression.  It  is  done  through  arousing  and  vital- 
izing the  emotional  energy.  Vitalized  emotional 
energy,  the  singer's  sensation,  is  undoubtedly  the 
true  motor  power  of  the  artist. 

At  just  what  stage  of  development  the  consid- 
eration of  this  higher  form  of  study  or  expression 
should  be  placed  before  the  mind  of  the  pupil,  is 
a  question.  Singers  are  so  different,  physically, 
mentally,  and  emotionally.  With  some  I  have 
found  it  best  not  to  consider  this  side  of  the  ques- 
tion until  they  have  developed  a  fair  vocal  tech- 
nique. This  should  be  the  case  with  emotional, 
nervous,  excitable  temperaments.  With  hard,  cold, 
stiff,  mechanical  pupils,  this  is  often  the  only  way 
in  which  it  is  possible  to  arouse  them,  in  order  to 
give  them  a  start,  without  wasting  weeks  or  months 
of  precious  time. 

The  development  of  this  principle  of  vitalized, 
emotional  energy,  depends,  as  a  rule,  upon  freedom 
of  voice  and  the  true  conditions  of  tone  as  before 


Fourth  Principle  of  Artistic  Singing.      103 

described.  Therefore,  in  order  to  study  this  great 
question,  in  order  to  fully  develop  this  higher  form 
of  expression,  the  singer  must  have  mastered  the 
flexible,  vitalized  movements  given  in  this  work, 
must  have  acquired  through  these  movements  abso- 
lute freedom  of  tone.  Experience  teaches  us,  how- 
ever, that  there  are  those  who,  while  they  learn,  in 
a  certain  way,  to  do  the  movements  comparatively 
well,  yet  do  not  entirely  let  go,  —  they  do  not  free 
the  voice.  With  such  the  study  of  tone  color,  and 
especially  the  study  of  soft  color,  not  soft  tone 
necessarily,  but  soft,  emotional  tone  color,  is  their 
only  salvation.  It  releases  and  relaxes  all  the 
rigid  local  tendencies. 

There  is  a  stage  of  study,  as  we  have  said,  in 
the  experience  of  all  students  of  the  voice,  when, 
in  order  to  become  artists,  Nature  demands  of 
them  more  than  mere  sound.  There  comes  a  time 
when  every  tone  of  the  voice  must  mean  some- 
thing, must  express  something,  through  the  char- 
acter of  the  tone,  the  idealized  tone.  In  this  way 
the  personal  magnetism  of  the  singer  is  imparted, 
heard,  and  felt.  This  means  the  expression  of 
thought  and  feeling  through  the  color  and  char- 
acter of  the  tone,  the  highest  known  form  of  ex- 
pression. This  principle  is  the  greatest  known 
agency  for  the  development  of  all  the  powers  of 


IO4     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

the  singer,  not  only  the  emotional  and  mental 
powers,  but  the  physical  as  well.  The  student 
of  the  voice  who  studies  or  who  is  trained 
in  this  way,  develops,  not  only  in  character  and 
beauty  of  tone,  but  in  actual  physical  power  and 
control.  This  study  of  tone  color  and  tone  char- 
acter develops  new  power  in  every  way.  "The 
mechanical  and  mental  alone  are  but  half  develop- 
ment, but  this  is  full  and  complete  development  of 
the  entire  being."  In  proof  of  this,  sing  a  light, 
bright,  happy  thought  or  tone,  using  the  clear 
timbre,  about  the  middle  of  the  voice.  It  will 
require  but  little  strength.  Then  sing  a  more 
emotional  thought,  sentence,  or  tone ;  express 
deeper  feeling,  and  it  will  be  found  that  more 
strength  is  required.  Again,  give  utterance  to 
tone  or  words  which  express  sadness,  sorrow,  or 
intense  pleading,  using  the  somber  timbre  of  the 
voice,  and  much  more  strength  will  be  required. 
This  will  be  especially  noticeable  in  the  action  or 
energy  of  the  diaphragm  and  abdominal  muscles. 
It  will  be  found  that  the  low  muscles  of  the  body 
exert  more  strength  on  somber  timbre  than  on 
clear  tone.  This,  in  order  to  induce  the  deep, 
low  setting  of  the  voice  at  the  organ  of  sound, 
necessary  for  the  production  of  somber  or  dark 
tone,  and  the  expression  of  deep,  emotional  feel- 


Fourth  Principle  of  Artistic  Singing.     105 

ing.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  this  means  greater 
physical  as  well  as  emotional  development ;  physi- 
cal development,  not  only  of  every  muscle  of  the 
body,  but  of  the  organ  of  sound  itself ;  a  develop- 
ment which  can  be  attained  through  the  study  of 
tone  color  and  emotional  expression  only. 

The  power  of  vitalized  emotional  energy,  I 
might  say  the  power  of  the  emotional  power,  can- 
not be  overestimated.  The  power  of  an  emotional 
climax,  imparted  through  the  soft  color  of  the 
voice,  is  often  greater  than  that  of  the  dramatic 
climax ;  it  will  often  influence  and  affect  an  audi- 
ence in  the  most  startling  way.  We  find  that 
thought  and  will  control  all  physical  action  in  sing- 
ing. If  the  thought  is  right,  the  action  will  be 
right ;  if  wrong,  the  action  will  surely  be  wrong. 
When  right  thought  and  action  have  developed 
absolute  freedom,  then  the  emotional  energy,  the 
singer's  sensation,  the  true  power  of  the  voice, 
should  dominate  everything.  The  mind  or  will 
controls  the  body  through  thought,  but  the  thought 
must  be  aroused  through  feeling  or  emotion  ;  and 
the  feeling  or  emotion  is  inspired  by  the  sentiment 
to  be  expressed.  This  means,  of  course,  the  higher 
form  of  expression,  means  the  power  of  tone  color 
and  tone  character ;  but  it  depends  first  upon  all 
true  conditions  of  tone,  mental  and  physical,  and 


106     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

then  upon  the  temperament,  upon  the  heart,  and 
soul  of  the  singer. 

Singing,  as  we  have  said,  is  more  psychological 
than  physiological.  This  whole  system  of  flexi- 
ble, vitalized  movements,  is  first  aroused  by  right 
thought,  and  finally  applied  and  controlled  through 
the  mind  or  will,  in  response  to  feeling  or  emo- 
tional impulse.  In  this  way  we  are  able  to  arouse 
and  use  at  will  the  persuasive,  the  impressive,  the 
fervent  voice ;  the  voice  that  is  something  more 
than  mere  sound ;  the  voice  that  has  character  and 
magnetism. 

Compare  two  voices  that  are  equal  in  every  way 
in  regard  to  power  of  tone,  compass,  and  control. 
The  one  varies  the  color  and  character  of  the  tone 
continually  with  the  change  of  thought  and  senti- 
ment, and  is  enabled  thereby  not  only  to  avoid 
monotony,  but  to  use  the  impressive,  persuasive 
voice,  the  tone  the  sentiment  demands.  In  this 
way  he  has  magnetic  power  and  influence  over  an 
audience.  The  other  voice  may  be  bright,  free, 
and  clear,  yet  may  use  the  same  quality  or  color  of 
tone  constantly  on  all  styles  of  singing,  and  on  all 
degrees  of  power,  it  matters  not  what  the  thought 
or  sentiment  may  be ;  and  this  style  of  voice  is  by 
no  means  uncommon,  even  among  many  of  our 
public  singers.  Now  consider  the  difference  in  the 


Fourth  Principle  of  Artistic  Singing.      107 

commercial  value  of  these  two  voices,  which  should 
bear  at  least  some  relation  to  their  artistic  value. 
No  artist  can  be  truly  great  or  fully  developed 
without  the  power  of  vitalized,  emotional  energy, 
and  variety  of  tone  color  and  character. 

Sing  a  tone,  about  the  middle  of  the  voice,  with- 
out other  thought  than  that  of  simply  pure,  free 
tone.  It  will  be  found  that  in  the  most  beautiful 
voice  the  tone  will  be  common-place,  meaningless ; 
in  many  voices  it  will  be  simply  sound.  Now  place 
yourself  in  every  way  upon  a  higher,  a  more  lofty 
plane.  Think  of  higher  ideas  and  ideals.  In  other 
words,  idealize  the  tone.  Remember,  the  ideal  is 
the  truth,  and  not  exaggeration.  Appeal  to  your 
emotional  energy,  the  singer's  sensation,  and  give 
expression  to  thought  and  feeling  aroused  in  this 
way.  Give  expression  to  an  actual  life-throb, 
whether  it  be  of  love  or  hate,  of  joy  or  sadness,  of 
ecstasy  or  despair.  The  result,  the  change  of 
tone,  character,  and  quality,  will  be  astonishing, 
will  ofttimes  be  electrifying.  In  this  way  make 
the  tone  actually  mean  something.  Feel  like  a 
singer,  assert  yourself,  express  thought,  sentiment, 
feeling,  emotion,  and  not  simply  sound. 

Simple  sound,  as  a  rule,  is  meaningless  and 
unnatural.  Nature  demands,  for  the  expression  of 
beautiful,  artistic  tone,  that  all  the  powers  she  has 


io8     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

given  the  singer  —  the  powers,  physical,  mental, 
and  emotional  —  be  brought  into  action  and  put 
into  the  tone.  Character  and  magnetism  of  tone 
must  be  aroused  in  most  voices.  This  cannot  be 
done  through  the  mechanical  and  mental  powers 
alone.  It  requires  the  study  and  development  of 
the  emotional  energies  of  the  singer.  In  other 
words,  the  singer  must  put  himself,  not  only  upon 
a  physical  and  mental  level,  but  upon  the  emotional 
level  of  the  tone  as  well. 

All  voices  have  two  distinct  color  or  character 
effects,  the  reed  and  the  flute.  These  effects  are 
the  result  of  vowel  forms,  and  of  the  predominat- 
ing influence  of  high  placing  or  of  low  resonance. 
When  we  desire  brilliancy,  the  reed  effect  should 
predominate.  When  we  desire  dark  color  or  more 
somber  effects,  the  flute  quality  should  prevail.  In 
clear  tone  or  timbre  there  is  more  reed  effect  than 
flute.  In  medium  tone  or  color  the  effect  of  both 
is  heard  and  felt.  In  the  somber  tone  the  flute 
predominates.  To  express  joy  or  happiness  we 
use  the  clear  timbre,  and  the  ring  of  high  forward 
placing  predominates.  To  express  a  deeper  feel- 
ing, a  more  serious  but  not  a  sad  tone,  that  which 
we  call  the  emotional  form,  both  the  clear  and  the 
somber  are  heard  in  various  proportions  ;  the  high 
placing  and  the  low  resonance  are  about  equally 


Fourth  Principle  of  Artistic  Singing.     109 

balanced.  To  express  sadness  the  somber  color  or 
low  resonance  predominates. 

Apply  these  ideas  on  all  the  exercises  given. 
Use  sentences  which  contain  thought  or  sentiment 
that  will  enable  you  to  arouse  a  definite  feeling. 
For  example,  to  study  the  clear  timbre,  sing,  "  My 
heart  is  glad."  To  express  the  emotional  tone,  the 
tone  which  is  not  sad  but  serious,  sing,  "  My  heart 
is  thine."  To  express  a  somber  sound  or  sadness, 
sing,  "My  heart  is  sad."  To  express  a  ringing, 
dramatic  tone,  sing,  "Thy  heart  is  false."  Thus 
we  express  four  different  effects  on  the  one  word, 
"heart." 

This  subject  of  emotional  expression  through 
tone  color  and  tone  character  is  so  great,  so  im- 
portant, that  it  is  impossible  to  do  it  justice  in  this 
little  work.  I  have  written  more  fully  on  this  and 
kindred  subjects  in  my  other  works,  therefore  I 
shall  here  touch  but  lightly  upon  the  aesthetics  of 
the  vocal  art. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  prime  object 
for  which  this  book  was  written,  was  to  place 
more  clearly,  if  possible,  before  my  readers,  the 
importance  and  wonderful  influence  of  the  flexible, 
vitalized  movements  of  our  system. 

These  movements,  we  find,  so  directly  influence 
the  voice,  the  singer,  and  the  results  in  every  way, 


no     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

that  we  feel  justified  in  again  calling  attention  to 
them.  Too  much  cannot  be  said  of  them,  for  the 
average  student  of  the  voice  is  inclined  to  neglect 
them.  If  they  have  been,  to  a  certain  extent, 
understood  and  mastered,  then  the  study  of  this, 
the  fourth  principle  of  artistic  singing,  becomes  a 
comparatively  easy  matter.  With  the  student  who 
does  not  understand  them,  emotional  or  self-expres- 
sion is  always  a  difficult  matter,  and  with  many  an 
impossibility ;  which  largely  accounts  for  the  great 
number  of  mechanical  singers.  At  least  twenty 
years'  hard  work  and  study  have  been  put  upon 
these  movements  in  order  to  reduce  them  to  the 
simplest  and  most  effective  form.  They  are  based 
upon  common  sense  and  Nature's  laws.  Of  course 
no  one  can  or  should  expect  to  understand  or  fully 
appreciate  them  without  more  or  less  investigation. 


ARTICLE   TWO. 

THE   FIFTH    PRINCIPLE    OF    ARTISTIC    SINGING. 

THE  fifth  principle  of  artistic  singing  is 
Automatic  Articulation. 

Theory.  — Articulation  must  be  spontaneous,  the 
result  of  thought,  and  of  the  effect  desired,  never 
of  direct  or  local  effort.  The  thought  before  the 
action,  never  the  action  before  the  thought. 

Devices.  —  The  development  of  the  consonantal 
sounds  through  the  study  of  the  three  points  or 
places  of  articulation,  and  the  application  by  the 
use  of  words,  sentences,  and  sentiment,  vitalized 
and  intensified. 

In  our  course  of  study  or  in  the  formula  here 
given,  it  will  be  evident  to  the  reader  that  we  lay 
much  stress  upon  the  principle  of  vitality  or  vital- 
ized energy.  In  the  second  part  of  this  work  we 
have  considered  the  principles  and  the  devices  that 
develop  physical  and  mental  vitality.  In  the  article 
which  directly  precedes  this,  special  emphasis  is 
placed  upon  emotional  vitality.  Vitality  or  vital- 
ized energy,  it  will  be  found,  holds  good  also  in 
in 


H2     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

this,  the  fifth  fundamental  principle  of  artistic 
voice  production. 

Articulation,  to  be  artistic,  must  be  automatic 
and  spontaneous ;  must  be  the  result  of  thought 
and  effect  desired,  and  never  of  direct  or  local 
effort.  This  being  true,  we  must  recognize  the 
importance  of  freedom  of  form  and  action,  of  the 
removal  of  all  restraint,  in  fact,  the  importance  of 
all  true  conditions  of  tone.  This  brings  us  back 
again  to  our  original  position,  as  do  all  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  singing ;  namely, —  the  impor- 
tance of  the  free,  flexible  movements  of  our  system, 
upon  which  freedom  of  form  and  action,  in  fact,  all 
true  conditions  of  tone,  depend. 

Language,  spoken  language,  has  been  considered 
by  many  a  vocal  weakness.  Scientists  have  con- 
tended that  the  consonantal  sounds  weaken  the 
resonance  and  power  of  the  vowels.  We  have 
found  the  opposite  to  be  true.  We  have  found 
that  the  consonantal  sounds  in  many  ways  are  a 
wonderful  help  in  developing  the  voice.  This 
proves  that  which  some  one  has  so  well  said, 
"The  demonstrations  of  yesterday  are  the  false- 
hoods of  to-day." 

A  free,  flexible  articulation  of  the  consonantal 
sounds  helps  to  place  the  voice,  and  gives  it  life  and 
freedom.  Articulation,  under  right  conditions,  will 


Fifth  Principle  of  Artistic  Singing.     113 

not  interfere  with  the  legato  flow  of  voice.  It  is 
not  necessary,  as  many  suppose,  to  sacrifice  dis- 
tinct utterance  in  song  for  the  sake  of  the  legato 
flow  of  voice,  the  most  desired  mode  of  singing. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  free  legato  flow  of  the 
vowels  need  not  interfere  at  all  with  distinct  artic- 
ulation. The  voice  is  composed  of  two  separate 
and  distinct  instruments,  the  organ  which  produces 
sounds  or  vowels,  and  the  articulating  organ  which 
produces  consonants.  These  two  instruments, 
when  properly  trained,  strengthen,  complement, 
and  support  each  other,  and  together  they  mold 
vowels  and  consonants  into  speech. 

It  is  true  that  with  many,  articulation  is  a  diffi- 
cult matter,  and  this  is  especially  true  on  the  high 
tones  of  the  voice.  No  one  who  has  heard  the 
majority  of  the  average  opera  and  concert  singers 
of  the  day,  would  be  justified  in  holding  that  artic- 
ulation is  not  a  lost  art.  A  free,  distinct  articula- 
tion and  use  of  words  in  song,  is  the  exception  and 
not  the  rule.  This  is  due  largely  to  the  following 
fact  —  with  most  singers  there  is  direct  or  local 
effort  on  face,  jaw,  tongue  and  throat,  during  the 
act  of  singing ;  in  other  words,  they  grip  the  parts 
to  hold  the  tone,  and  the  higher  or  louder  they 
sing,  the  firmer  the  grip  or  contraction.  This  vir- 
tually paralyzes  action,  and  makes  flexible  articula- 


ii4     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

tion  impossible.  Articulation  knows  no  pitch.  It 
should  be  as  easy  on  a  high  tone  as  on  a  middle 
or  low  tone.  If  there  were  no  direct  or  local  effort 
of  the  articulating  muscles  to  hold  the  tone,  articu- 
lation on  the  high  tone  would  be  as  easy  as  on  the 
middle  or  low  tone.  This  is  a  fact  which  has  been 
demonstrated  again  and  again.  Of  course  it  is 
more  difficult  to  learn  to  sustain  the  high  tone 
without  placing  more  or  less  effort  upon  the  face, 
jaw,  and  throat  ;  but  under  right  conditions,  the 
result  of  right  position  and  action,  this  can  be  done, 
and  has  been  done  many  times. 

Articulation,  to  be  artistic,  must  be  spontaneous, 
—  the  thought  before  the  action.  Think  and  feel 
the  effect  desired,  and  give  no  thought  to  the  action 
of  articulation.  The  action,  under  right  conditions, 
if  there  is  no  restraint,  will  respond  to  thought 
and  feeling  ;  it  will  be  automatic  and  spontaneous. 
Just  as  the  singer,  after  a  certain  stage  of  study, 
should  never  produce  a  tone  that  does  not  mean 
something,  that  has  not  character,  so  in  the  use  of 
words,  he  should  always  sing  them  in  a  persuasive, 
impressive  manner,  and  with  free,  flexible  action. 
As,  under  this  system,  we  never  locally  influence 
vowel  form,  so,  after  a  certain  stage  of  study  we 
never  locally  influence  consonantal  action.  To  be 
right,  it  must  be  automatic  and  spontaneous. 


Fifth  Principle  of  Artistic  Singing.      115 

Of  course  we  recognize  the  fact  that  in  all  vocal 
study  there  must  be  a  beginning.  The  pupil  must 
be  taught  to  know  and  think  correct  physical  or 
mechanical  action  in  singing.  He  must  know 
what  it  is,  what  it  means,  and  how  to  think  it. 
Then  it  must  be  trained  to  respond  to  thought  and 
will.  This  we  call  the  first  two  stages  of  study, 
or  the  physical  and  mental.  The  mental,  as  the 
student  progresses,  must  dominate  and  control  the 
physical ;  and  finally,  as  we  have  before  stated, 
the  true  motor  power  is  emotional  energy  or  the 
singer's  sensation.  This  order  of  study  and  de- 
velopment holds  good  in  this  fifth  principle  of 
artistic  singing,  as  in  all  others. 

The  device  to  which  we  first  resort  for  the 
understanding  and  development  of  articulation,  is 
a  study  of  the  three  points  or  places  of  contact. 
On  page  183  of  "Vocal  Reinforcement"  (by  the 
author  of  this  work)  will  be  found  a  full  explana- 
tion of  these  three  points. 

A  vowel  sound  is  the  result  of  an  uninterrupted 
flow  of  the  vibratory  air  current.  A  consonantal 
sound,  on  the  other  hand,  is  the  result  of  a  com- 
plete obstruction  and  explosion,  of  a  partial  ob- 
struction and  explosion,  or  of  a  partial  obstruction 
only.  The  place  and  manner  of  the  obstruction 
and  explosion,  or  of  the  obstruction  only,  deter- 


n6     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

mine   the    character   of    the   sound.      There   are 
three  points  of  obstruction  or  articulation  : 

1 .  The  point  of  contact  of  the  base  or  back  of 
the  tongue  and  of  the  soft  palate. 

2.  The  contact  of  the  tip  of  the  tongue  and  of 
the  hard  palate,  the  roof  of  the  mouth. 

3.  The  contact  of  the  lips,  or  of  the  lower  lip 
and  the  teeth. 

Almost  any  first-class  work  on  the  elements  of 
the  English  language  will  give  the  divisions  and 
the  location  of  the  consonantal  sounds.  For  the 
singing  voice  it  is  always  best  to  simplify,  hence 
we  divide  the  consonantal  sounds  into  two  general 
divisions  :  the  aspirates,  those  which  are  the  result 
of  complete  obstruction  and  explosion,  or  of  partial 
obstruction  only,  breath  and  vowel  sound ;  the  sub- 
vocals,  those  which  are  the  result  of  partial  obstruc- 
tion and  explosion,  or  of  partial  obstruction  only, 
sub-vocal  and  vowel  sound.  The  sub-vocals,  as 
ending  or  final  consonants,  are  the  most  difficult  of 
all  to  give  their  proper  value  and  effect. 

The  student  of  the  voice  should  study,  under- 
stand, and  practically  train  the  action  of  these 
three  points  or  places  of  articulation  ;  for  at  these 
three  points,  with  a  few  exceptions,  all  consonantal 
sounds  are  made.  Take  all  the  consonants,  and 
classify  them  in  two  columns,  the  aspirates  or 


Fifth  Principle  of  Artistic  Singing.     117 

breath  sounds  in  one  column,  and  the  sub-vocals 
in  another.  We  will  give  one  example  of  each 
kind,  as  made  at  each  point  or  place  of  articula- 
tion. By  the  aid  of  vowels  we  form  syllables,  and 
thus  simplify  the  study,  and  make  it  more  defi- 
nite. The  study  of  consonantal  sounds  without 
the  use  of  vowel  sounds  is  very  indefinite  and 
unsatisfactory. 

We  give  the  formula  for  the  study  of  articula- 
tion, as  found  in  "  Exercises  for  the  Training  and 
Development  of  the  Voice"  (by  the  author  of  this 
work),  on  page  18. 

_,  .  _  .         Ko    Ok  —  Aspirate. 

Thus:  ist  Point.  £ 

Go     Og  —  Sub-vocal. 

To"'~NOt  —  Aspirate. 
2d  Point.  f 

Do     Od  —  Sub-vocal. 

Po     Op  —  Aspirate. 
3d  Font     Bo^pb- Sub-vocal. 

Exaggerate  the  consonantal  sounds  in  every 
instance,  and  the  points  of  contact  or  places  of 
articulation  will  be  very  evident.  It  will  also  be 
evident  that  the  point  of  contact  or  articulation  is 
much  more  positive  on  certain  aspirates  than  on 
the  sub-vocals  ;  while  on  a  few  other  aspirates  the 
action  or  obstruction  is  so  slight  that  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  tell  where  or  how  they  are  made. 
They  are  the  exception  to  the  general  rule.  To 


1 1 8     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

such,  however,  very  little  attention  or  study  need 
be  given.  Having  studied  the  formula  as  given, 
classify  the  consonants  in  three  columns,  under 
the  headings  of  ist,  2d,  and  3d  points  or  places 
of  articulation. 

At  a  certain  stage  of  study,  when  the  student 
of  the  voice  has  acquired  freedom  and  control, 
when  he  is  able  to  release  the  face,  jaw,  tongue, 
and  throat  from  all  local  effort  or  contraction,  —  at 
this  stage  of  study  it  is  wonderful  what  can  be 
done  in  the  way  of  articulation  in  a  few  days,  by 
this  system.  I  have  known  many  singers  who 
could  produce  beautiful  tones,  but  who  could  not 
make  themselves  understood  at  all  in  the  singing 
of  a  song;  yet  in  a  few  lessons  on  these  three 
points  or  places  of  articulation,  practically  applied 
by  the  use  of  words  and  sentences,  they  could 
sing  the  words  of  a  song  as  distinctly  as  it  was 
possible  to  speak  them. 

For  the  practical  application  of  the  above  prin- 
ciples of  articulation,  form  groups  of  vowel  sounds, 
and  make  syllables  by  adding  consonants,  and  sing 
them  on  single  or  level  tones.  First  place  the 
consonant  before  the  vowel,  making  the  articula- 
tion the  initial  sound  of  the  syllable.  Then  place 
the  consonant  after  the  vowel,  making  the  articu- 
lation the  final  sound  of  the  syllable.  Also  sing 


Fifth  Principle  of  Artistic  Singing.      119 

sentences  on  single  tones  or  level  movements. 
Analyze  all  the  consonantal  elements  of  the  sen- 
tence. Take  for  example  the  following  sentence, 
"We  praise  Thee,  O  God,"  and  notice  at  which 
point  or  place  of  articulation  each  and  every  con- 
sonant is  made.  Let  all  articulation  be  free, 
flexible,  and  light  in  movement,  not  heavy  or 
labored.  Never  work  with  articulation  ;  play  with 
it,  but  let  it  be  distinct  and  definite.  Make  no 
effort  of  face,  lips,  or  tongue;  let  all  be  free  and 
pliable.  Show  no  effort  or  contraction  of  the  face 
in  sustaining  voice  or  pronouncing  words.  In 
other  words,  never  sing  on  the  outside  of  the  face. 
Mouth  and  face  must  be  left  free  and  pliable  for 
the  outline  of  form  and  for  expression.  Use 
words  and  sentences  in  an  impulsive,  impressive 
manner  without  local  effort. 

Articulation  must  be  rhythmically  in  sympathy 
with  the  movement  or  the  rhythm  of  the  song. 
Even  though  the  voice  may  flow  freely  on  the 
vowels,  the  articulation  must  not  be  hurried,  ner- 
vous or  spasmodic.  This  style  of  articulation  often 
disturbs  the  legato  flow  and  spoils  the  general 
effect.  While  of  course  it  is  not  possible  to  sing 
the  consonantal  sounds,  a  beautiful  effect  is  often 
the  result  of  playing  upon  the  consonant  rhythmi- 
cally, with  the  movement  of  the  song. 


ARTICLE   THREE. 

THE    SIXTH    PRINCIPLE    OF    ARTISTIC    SINGING. 

THE  sixth  principle  of  artistic  singing  is 
The  Elocution  of  Singing. 

Theory.  —  The  words  and  their  meaning,  in 
modern  song,  are,  as  a  rule,  more  important  than 
the  music. 

Devices.  —  A  study  to  combine  elastic  vowel 
form  and  flexible  articulation,  applied  by  the 
emphasis  and  accent  of  important  words  and 
phrases ;  also  applied  through  the  color  and  char- 
acter of  tone,  and  the  impressive,  persuasive,  fer- 
vent voice.  In  short,  a  study  of  pure  diction. 

Every  singer  and  teacher  of  singing  should,  in 
a  certain  sense,  be  an  elocutionist  as  well.  Not 
an  elocutionist  from  the  standpoint  of  many  who 
are  called  elocutionists,  who  are  stagey,  full  of 
mannerisms,  and  who  exaggerate  everything  per- 
taining to  elocution.  Of  course  the  better  class 
of  elocutionists  are  not  guilty  of  these  things; 
but  they  do  idealize  everything,  whether  they  read, 
recite,  or  declaim,  and  this  in  their  profession  is  a 


122     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

mark  of  true  art.  So  must  the  teacher  and  singer 
learn  to  idealize  not  only  the  tone  or  the  voice, 
but  everything  pertaining  to  the  singing  of  a  song. 
This  must  be  done  through  the  manner  in  which 
the  sentiment,  the  thought,  the  central  idea  is 
brought  out  and  presented  to  the  hearer ;  through 
the  impressive  way  in  which  the  story  is  told. 

The  elocution  of  singing  depends  upon  a  knowl- 
edge and  control  of  all  the  principles  considered 
up  to  this  point  of  study,  —  a  knowledge  and 
control  of  physical,  mental,  and  emotional  power, 
of  freedom  of  form  and  action,  of  artistic  vowel 
form  and  automatic  articulation,  of  the  removal 
of  all  restraint,  in  fact,  of  all  true  conditions  of 
tone.  To  interpret  well,  the  singer  must  have 
mastered  the  elocution  of  singing,  must  be  able  to 
bring  out  every  vowel  and  consonantal  element  of 
the  words,  must  know  how  to  use  and  apply  tone 
color  and  tone  character,  the  impressive,  persua- 
sive, fervent  voice.  The  singer  must  idealize  not 
only  the  tone,  but  the  words  of  the  song;  "just 
as  the  painter  idealizes  the  landscape,  so  the 
musical  artist  must  use  his  powers  of  idealization 
in  interpreting  the  work  of  the  composer."  To  be 
able  to  do  this,  his  diction  must  be  as  pure,  his 
language  as  polished,  as  that  of  the  most  accom- 
plished orator. 


Sixth  Principle  of  Artistic  Singing.     123 

The  power  of  word  vitality  in  the  singing  of  a 
modern  song,  is  one  of  the  great  elements  of  suc- 
cess, if  not  the  greatest.  Not  an  exaggerated 
form  of  pronunciation,  but  an  intense,  earnest, 
impressive  way  of  bringing  out  the  thought.  It 
would  be  interesting  to  know  what  per  cent  of 
teachers  and  singers  can  read  properly  the  words 
of  a  song ;  to  know  how  many  of  them,  or  rather 
how  few  of  them,  have  ever  given  this  phase  of 
the  study,  thought  or  attention.  Most  of  them 
act  as  though  they  were  really  ashamed  to  try, 
when  you  ask  them  to  read  the  words  of  a  song, 
and  when  they  read  them,  they  apparently  have 
no  thought  of  expressing,  or  no  idea  of  how  to 
express  the  elevated  thought  or  feeling,  necessary 
to  bring  out  the  author's  ideas.  It  is  almost 
impossible  to  make  them  idealize  the  words 
through  the  elocution  of  singing ;  and  yet  in  the 
artistic  rendition  of  a  song,  a  ballad,  or  a  dramatic 
aria,  the  words  are  often  of  more  importance  than 
the  music.  The  singer  should  study  the  story  of 
a  song  by  reading  it  aloud  upon  the  highest  plane 
or  level  of  emotional  or  dramatic  expression.  To 
do  this,  he  must  know  and  apply  the  elocution  of 
singing.  Then  he  should  endeavor  to  bring  out 
the  same  lofty  ideals  when  applying  the  words  to 
the  music. 


124     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

"Why  do  not  singers  read  or  talk  as  they 
sing  ? "  was  a  question  once  asked  by  a  prominent 
elocutionist.  "Why  do  not  elocutionists  sing  as 
they  talk  or  read  ? "  I  replied.  This,  of  course,  at 
once  suggests  an  interesting  subject  for  discussion. 
To  give  the  reason  in  a  general  way,  is  simply  to 
state  that  singers,  as  a  rule,  do  not  apply  the  prin- 
ciples of  their  art  to  the  talking  voice.  Hence 
they  often  read  and  talk  badly.  The  same  is  true, 
as  a  rule,  of  elocutionists.  They  do  not  apply  the 
principles  of  their  art  when  they  attempt  to  sing. 

The  devices  we  use  are  a  study  of  elastic  vowel 
form  and  flexible  articulation,  applied  by  the 
emphasis  and  accent  of  important  words  in  phrases 
and  sentences.  Then  a  study  of  the  character  and 
tone  color  necessary  to  express  the  meaning  of  the 
words.  Then  a  use  of  the  earnest,  impressive, 
persuasive  voice,  as  the  text  may  demand.  By 
using  these  forces  or  principles,  as  suggested  by 
the  thought  and  sentiment  of  the  words,  we  arouse 
the  emotional  power,  the  magnetism  of  the  voice, 
and  thus  influence  the  hearer.  Through  the 
elocution  of  singing  we  place  our  emotional,  our 
personal  expression  upon  a  high  and  lofty  plane. 
We  thus  express  the  central  thought,  the  high 
ideals  of  the  composer,  and  through  the  earnest, 
impressive  voice  impart  them  to  the  hearer. 


ARTICLE   FOUR. 

THE    SEVENTH    PRINCIPLE    OF    ARTISTIC    SINGING. 

THE  seventh  principle  of  artistic  singing  is 
Interpretation, 

Theory.  —  Singing  means  infinitely  more  than 
the  use  of  words  and  music ;  it  means  the  expres- 
sion of  the  author's  idea  as  a  whole. 

Devices.  — The  application  of  all  true  princi- 
ples by  drawing,  as  it  were,  a  mental  and  emo- 
tional tone-picture,  as  suggested  by  words  and 
music. 

The  following  article  upon  this  subject  was 
kindly  written,  especially  for  this  book,  by  my 
friend  and  pupil,  the  well  known  teacher,  Mr.  John 
Randolph. 

Interpretation  in  song  is  the  faithful  reproduc- 
tion of  the  intention  of  both  poet  and  composer. 
This  reproduction  includes  the  revelation  of  the 
characteristics  of  the  poem  itself,  whether  lyric, 
dramatic,  or  in  other  ways  distinctive.  It  also 
reveals  the  musical  significance  of  the  composition 


126     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

to  which  the  words  are  set.  The  melodic,  rhyth- 
mic, and  even  harmonic  values  must  be  made  clear 
to  the  hearer.  But  interpretation  includes  more 
than  this  reproduction,  essential  though  it  may  be. 
If  the  expression  of  the  intention  of  poet  and  com- 
poser fulfilled  the  sum  total  of  interpretation,  one 
performance  would  differ  little  from  another.  A 
clear-cut,  automatic  precision  would  be  the  result, 
perhaps  as  perfect  as  the  repetition  given  out  by  a 
music-box  and  certainly  no  more  interesting. 
Another  element  enters  into  interpretation.  The 
meaning  of  the  poem  and  its  accompanying  music 
must  be  displayed  through  the  medium  of  a  tem- 
perament capable  of  self-expression.  A  personal 
subjective  quality  must  enter  into  the  performance. 
The  singer  must  reveal  not  only  the  significance 
of  words  and  music,  but  his  own  intellectual  and 
emotional  comment  upon  them.  Upon  this  ac- 
ceptance of  the  inner  meaning  of  words  and  music, 
and  upon  his  ability  to  weave  around  them  some 
strands  of  his  individuality,  depend  the  character 
and  originality  of  the  singer's  interpretation  as  a 
whole.  Let  us  see  how  this  comprehension  of  the 
meaning  of  songs  may  be  acquired ;  upon  what 
foundations  rests  the  ability  to  make  the  meaning 
clear ;  and  if  we  can  do  so,  let  us  discover  the 
springs  of  that  elusive  quality  commonly  called 


Seventh  Principle  of  Artistic  Singing.      127 

"temperament  "  which  gives  the  personal  note  to 
one  rendition  as  distinct  from  another,  and  without 
which  the  clearest  exposition  of  vocal  meanings 
becomes  tame  and  colorless. 

The  singer  is  a  specialist,  but  all  successful 
specialization  rests  upon  the  broad  foundations  of 
general  culture.  The  reason  why  there  are  so 
many  singers  and  so  few  artists  who  thrill  us  with 
the  revelation  of  the  intimate  beauties  of  the  songs 
of  Franz,  Grieg,  and  MacDowell,  to  take  only  a 
few  names  from  the  rich  list  of  song  writers,  is 
because  people  sing  without  acquiring  the  range 
of  vision  which  makes  such  interpretation  possible. 
How  can  one  sing,  let  us  say,  a  German  song, 
imbued  with  German  romanticism  and  melancholy, 
unless  he  knows  something  of  the  German  art,  the 
German  spirit,  the  German  language,  the  German 
national  characteristics  ?  A  knowledge  of  lite- 
rature, art  in  general,  and  the  "  Humanities,"  to 
use  an  old-fashioned  word,  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  interpretation  of  a  high  order.  Too  often,  alas, 
the  singer  imagines  that  the  study  of  tone  produc- 
tion, or  acquaintance  with  musical  literature,  or  a 
polished  diction,  will  make  him  sing  with  the  com- 
bination of  qualities  called  style.  Not  so !  Upon 
the  broad  foundations  of  general  culture,  which 
distinguishes  the  man  of  refinement  from  his  less 


128     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

fortunate  brother,  rests  also  the  specific  ability  to 
sing  with  distinction.  Moreover,  the  singer  must 
have  definite  musical  ability,  natural  and  developed 
by  study.  He  must  thoroughly  comprehend 
rhythm,  melody,  and  harmony  in  order  that  his 
attention  may  not  be  distracted  from  interpretative 
values  to  ignoble  necessities  of  time  and  tune.  It 
is  not  possible  to  sing  Mozart,  not  to  say  Beethoven 
and  Wagner,  without  acquaintance  with  the  vo- 
cabulary and  grammar  of  the  wonderful  lan- 
guage in  which  they  wrote.  Familiarity  with  the 
traditions  of  different  schools  of  composition  and 
performance  is  necessary  also  in  order  not  to  sing 
the  songs  of  Bach  and  Handel  like  those  of 
Schubert  and  Schumann,  or  Brahms  like  the 
modern  French  composers;  in  order  not  to  inter- 
pret with  like  effects  indiscriminately  songs  of  the 
oratorio  and  opera,  of  Italian,  German,  French, 
English  and  modern  Russian  schools. 

Unquestionably  the  singer  must  have  control  of 
the  physiological  and  technical  possibilities  of 
his  voice.  No  one  can  make  words  and  music 
mean  anything  while  he  is  wondering  what  his 
voice  may  do  next.  Developed  intelligence,  emo- 
tional richness  and  refinement,  musical  knowledge, 
a  properly  placed  voice  capable  of  flexibility  and 
color,  distinct  articulation,  polished  diction,  these 


Seventh  Principle  of  Artistic  Singing.      129 

are  some  of  the  preliminaries  to  successful  inter- 
pretation in  song. 

Let  us  see  what  special  qualifications  assist  in 
the  actual  performance  of  song,  in  the  attempt  to 
give  pleasure  or  artistic  gratification  by  singing 
songs  for  others  to  hear.  In  the  first  place  let  us 
consider  the  limitations  as  well  as  the  advantages 
of  the  human  voice.  I  must  ask  you  to  remember 
that  considered  as  an  instrument  it  is  smaller  in 
power  than  some  instruments,  shorter  in  range 
than  many  others,  often  less  beautiful  than  the 
tones  of  the  violin.  But  in  one  respect  it  tran- 
scends all  others.  It  is  capable  of  revealing  the 
mind  and  soul  of  the  one  who  plays  upon  it.  The 
speaking  voice,  as  well  as  the  voice  in  song,  reveals 
thought  and  feeling  to  the  hearer ;  those  subtler 
shades  of  meaning  which  distinguish  man,  made  in 
the  image  of  God,  from  his  humble  companions, 
are  made  clear  to  those  about  him  by  this  instru- 
ment —  this  wonderful,  persuasive,  cajoling,  be- 
seeching, enthralling,  exciting,  thrilling,  terrifying 
instrument !  Have  you  not  been  moved  by  the 
tones  of  the  speaking  voice  ?  How  can  we  train 
the  voice  in  song  to  express  these  varying  shades 
of  meaning,  and  can  we  learn  to  use  them  sys- 
tematically instead  of  accidentally  or  when  we  are 
impelled  by  strong  emotion  ?  I  know  that  there  is 


130     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

a  popular  impression  that  some  singers  possess  a 
mysterious  quality  known  as  "temperament,"  and 
that  others  do  not.  Having  this  uncertain  quality, 
one  singer  stirs  an  audience  ;  having  it  not,  the 
hearer  remains  unmoved.  If  by  temperament, 
intelligence  and  emotional  richness  of  nature  are 
meant,  I  do  not  believe  that  anyone  who  is  not  to 
some  extent  possessed  of  these  faculties  can  stir 
the  feelings  of  his  hearers  to  any  considerable 
degree.  But  surely  many,  almost  all  people  capable 
of  conquering  the  physiological,  psychological,  tech- 
nical, and  musical  difficulties  to  be  overcome  be- 
fore learning  to  sing  at  all  well,  possess  these 
qualities.  And  even  if  modern  songs  of  the  best 
type  abound  in  subtle,  emotional  expression  and 
varying  shades  of  intellectual  significance,  it  is,  I 
believe,  possible  for  most  singers  to  gain  in  inter- 
pretative facility  by  learning  to  connect  the  thought 
and  feeling  underlying  the  song  with  the  spoken 
words  which  are  their  natural  outlet  and  ex- 
pression. 

I  say  spoken  words;  for  speech  is  the  more 
spontaneous  expression  of  thought  and  feeling, 
through  which  individuality  attains  its  simplest 
and  most  complete  expression.  Speech  is  the 
normal  method  through  which  we  make  clear  our 
ordinary  thoughts,  feelings,  desires,  repulsions, 


Seventh  Principle  of  Artistic  Singing.      131 

and  attractions  to  those  about  us.  Song  is  the 
finer  flower  of  artistic  expression,  one  of  the  means 
through  which  imagination  and  the  creative  and 
interpretative  faculties  find  an  adequate  medium 
and  outlet.  But  the  words  of  the  poem,  whether 
spoken  or  sung,  must  first  be  thoroughly  under- 
stood before  the  reader  or  singer  attempts  to 
make  anyone  else  comprehend  or  feel  them.  Too 
often  an  apparent  lack  of  "  temperament "  is  only 
the  failure  to  have  a  definite  understanding  of  the 
meaning  of  the  words  the  singer  is  vainly  endeavor- 
ing to  impress  upon  his  audience.  Let  the  singer 
recite  or  read  aloud  the  words  of  his  songs.  This 
is  a  natural  form  of  expression,  and  requires  a  less 
complex  process  of  thought  than  singing,  which 
demands  several  automatic  reflexes  in  securing 
tone  production  ;  let  him  read  aloud,  trying  to  give 
out  every  shade  of  thought  and  feeling  the  poem 
contains,  in  a  tone  which  is  persuasive  and  appeal- 
ing. Later,  when  he  can  do  this  with  appropriate 
emphasis  in  speech,  let  him  try  to  express  the 
same  meanings  in  his  singing  voice.  In  all  proba- 
bility he  will  find  that  he  is  much  assisted  by  the 
music,  if  his  tone  production  is  reasonably  correct 
and  authoritative,  and  he  be  enough  of  a  musician 
to  grasp  readily  tonal  values.  The  sense  of  the 
words,  the  emotion  and  thought  underlying  the 


132     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

words,  will  suggest  the  color  and  character  of  voice 
appropriate  to  the  expression  and  interpretation 
of  the  song  as  a  whole.  Of  course,  if  he  tries  to 
impress  upon  his  hearer  that  he  thinks  it  rather 
weak  and  foolish  to  give  up  completely  to  the  full 
significance  of  the  words,  and  to  impersonate  their 
narrative  or  dramatic  significance,  there  is  no  help 
for  him.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  fear  of 
seeming  exuberant  or  foolish,  the  unwillingness  to 
give  one's  inner  self  to  others,  or  a  self-conscious- 
ness which  prevents  it,  is  at  the  root  of  much 
apparent  lack  of  "temperament."  The  singer 
must  be  both  the  narrator  of  the  story  of  the 
poem  and  the  impersonator  of  the  principal  charac- 
ters in  that  story.  Upon  the  completeness  of  his 
understanding  of  the  meaning  of  the  poem,  and 
his  revelation  of  its  meanings,  as  well  as  upon  the 
absence  of  stiffness  or  self-consciousness  in  sug- 
gesting the  moods  or  characteristics  displayed,  will 
depend  the  impression  of  temperamental  force 
upon  his  audience. 

The  following  suggestions  may  be  of  some  value 
as  devices  in  making  songs  mean  something ; 
and  this,  after  all,  is  the  object  of  all  attempts  at 
interpretation. 

Suppose  you  take  a  new  song  —  one  you  have 
never  seen  before.  Do  not  sit  at  the  pianoforte, 


Seventh  Principle  of  Artistic  Singing.     133 

and  play  at  it  and  sing  at  it  until,  after  a  fashion, 
you  know  it.  This  way  of  learning  leads  to  the 
kind  of  statement  recently  heard  after  a  peculiarly 
bad  performance,  "Why,  I  never  think  of  the 
words  at  all  when  I  sing !"  Instead  of  doing  this, 
if  you  have  been  taught  to  do  so,  read  the  song 
through,  observing  its  general  character.  If  think- 
ing music  without  playing  or  singing  be  impossible 
for  you,  play  it  over,  carefully  noting  tempo  and 
other  general  characteristics,  until  you  have  an 
understanding  of  the  melody,  rhythm,  and  musical 
content.  Observe  how  the  words  fit  the  music, 
still  without  singing.  Then  read  the  poem  silently 
and  carefully,  and  decide  whether  it  is  narrative, 
lyric,  dramatic,  churchly,  or  in  other  ways  distinc- 
tive. Next  read  the  poem  aloud,  giving  the  voice 
character  appropriate  to  its  sentiment,  phrasing  it 
intelligibly,  observing  the  emotional  portent,  and 
coloring  it  accordingly.  If  the  poem  be  narrative, 
tell  the  story  with  life  and  vitality ;  if  it  be  dra- 
matic, attempt  to  impersonate  the  characters  con- 
cerned ;  if  it  be  devotional,  recite  with  dignity  and 
devotional  quality.  Finally,  when  both  words  and 
music  are  well  in  the  mind,  if  possible  with  an 
accompaniment,  but  certainly  standing,  sing  the 
song.  Sing,  making  a  compromise  between  the 
strict  rhythmical  value  of  the  notes  and  the  de- 


134     The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art. 

mands  of  the  sense  of  the  words.  Keep  the  gen- 
eral outlines  of  the  music  so  far  as  phrasing  and 
rhythm  are  concerned ;  but  whenever  a  sacrifice 
must  be  made,  sacrifice  the  musical  value  and  em- 
phasize the  emotion,  the  meaning,  the  poetry,  the 
dramatic  or  narrative  significance  of  the  words. 
Phrase  with  this  end  in  view ;  sacrifice  anything 
except  tone-production  to  this  end.  Do  not  dis- 
tort the  rhythm,  but  bend  it  sufficiently  to  empha- 
size important  words  and  syllables,  by  holding 
them  a  little,  at  the  expense  of  unimportant  words 
or  syllables.  Finally,  remember  that  misguided 
enthusiasm  is  not  interpretation. 

No  real  interpretation  is  possible  without  a  full 
comprehension  of  the  meaning  of  both  words  and 
music.  Study  the  voice.  Study  its  possibilities 
and  its  limitations.  Study  music  until  the  musical 
element  of  difficulty  is  reduced  to  a  minimum,  and 
until  the  character,  style,  and  traditions  of  the 
various  song  forms  are  well  within  your  grasp. 
No  matter  how  beautiful  may  be  the  voice,  or  how 
well  placed,  no  amount  of  enthusiasm  or  tempera- 
ment can  atone  for  a  meaningless  or  unintelligent 
treatment  of  the  intellectual,  emotional,  and  musi- 
cal characteristics  of  the  song  as  a  whole. 


SUPPLEMENTARY   NOTE. 


THE  tendency  of  many  is  to  raise  the  hands 
and  arms  too  high  ;  the  hands  should  not  be  raised 
above  the  waist-line.  If  raised  too  high,  the  en- 
ergy is  often  put  in  the  action  of  the  arms  instead 
of  the  body ;  or  the  upper  part  of  the  body  only  is 
moved,  and  thus  the  most  important  effect  or  in- 
fluence for  power  and  control  is  wanting.  The 
action  must  be  from  the  hips  up,  and  not  only 
from  the  hips,  but  the  hips  must  act  and  expand 
with  the  body.  Remember  the  center  of  gravity 
must  be  at  the  hips.  If  it  is  found  that  the  ten- 
dency is  to  raise  the  hands  too  high,  then  try  or 
study  the  action  as  follows  : 

Place  the  hands  upon  the  hips,  and  when  com- 
ing into  action,  when  seeking  the  level  of  the  tone, 
or  during  the  act  of  singing,  see  that  the  hips 
expand  freely  and  evenly  with  the  body.  This 
should  be  tried  and  practiced  frequently  by  all  in 
order  that  the  movement  may  be  from  the  hips  up 
and  not  above  the  hips  only.  When  the  hips  are 

'35 


136  Supplementary  Note. 

thus  brought  into  action,  the  abdominal  muscles 
and  the  diaphragm  are  strengthened,  and  their 
position  and  action  are  correct.  When  the  upper 
part  of  the  body  only  is  brought  into  action  the 
position  of  the  diaphragm  and  abdominal  muscles 
is  often  weakened.  Remember  that  the  basic  law 
or  foundation  principle  of  our  whole  system  of 
movements  is  movement  from  the  hips  up,  includ- 
ing the  action  or  expansion  of  the  hips  in  connec- 
tion with  the  movements  of  the  entire  body. 


The  Boston  Music  Company  Books 

FOR  THE 

JHusitc  Apprentice 


SERIES  I 


1  Treatise  on  Harmony,  Part  I  /.  H.  Anger 
\a  Treatise  on  Harmony,  Part  II 

\b  Treatise  on  Harmony,  Part  III  " 

\c  Key  to  Part  I,      Treatise  on  Harmony  " 

\d  Key  to  Part  II,    Treatise  on  Harmony  " 

\e  Key  to  Part  III,  Treatise  on  Harmony 

2  The  Modern  Enharmonic  Scale  " 

3  Elementary  Theory  of  Music  and  Treatment  of  Chords       R.  Wuerst 

4  Studies  in  Musical  Graces  E.  Fowles 
4a  Key  to  the  Exercises  in  "Studies  in  Musical  Graces "         E.  Fowles 

5  Gymnastique  Vocal e  A.  A.  Giraudet 

6  Exercises  in  Sight  Singing  (Solfeggio)  S.  W.  Cole 

7  Exercises  for  Training  of  the  Boy's  Voice  E.  Douglas 

8  Position  and  Action  in  Singing  Ed.  J.  Myer    1.25 

9  Vocal  Reinforcement  "  1.50 

10  The  Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art  "  1.25 

11  Elementary  Violin  Lessons  E.  Gruenberg    1.50 

12  School  of  Trio  Playing.    (Two- voice  inventions,  with  a  third 

voice  added  and  arranged  for  Organ  by  Max  Reger  and 

Karl  Straube)  /.  S.  Bach 

13  The  Organ  Accompaniment  of  the  Church  Service     H.  W.  Richards 

14  The  Plain-Song  Service  E.  Douglas 

15  Practical  Harmony  S.  Macpherson 
15#  Appendix  to  Practical  Harmony  " 

153  Questions  on  Harmony  " 

16  Form  in  Music,  with  especial  reference  to  the  Designs 

of  Instrumental  Music  " 

17  The  Rudiments  of  Music  " 
\7a  Questions  and  Exercises  upon  the  Rudiments  of  Music  " 

18  Practical  Counterpoint  " 

19  Music  and  its  Appreciation  " 

20  The  Technique  of  the  Modern  Orchestra  Ch.  M.  Widor 


UC  SOUTHERN 


liilililiii"'*"  -700  QOQ 


